A Talented Generation
by jimbo2
Summary: Based on "Mobius X Years Later" unaltered universe. Chapter 7 is up! Sonia and Skye could finally go to real date again, but fate keeps a little suprise for them. What will happen, and how their relationship will advance? Read and find out! Skye x Sonia
1. The Old-new Place

**Hello everyone!  
**

**I've finally got to begin writing this fanfiction. I've been planning it for quite a lot of time.  
**

**It's planned to be a SkyeXSonia fic based on Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic's "Mobius X Years Later" period, the unaltered timeline. I've always found that version better, and thought that pairing would be great in it (don't ask me why).  
**

**This is my first ever fanfiction, and my English is not so good either, but I hope you could deal with it. ^^  
So enjoy reading, and review, please.  
**

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**Chapter 1: The Old-new Place**

New Mobotropolis, King Frederick Airport, year 3266. It was a nice sunny morning when a young chipmunk girl was waiting for an airplane to arrive. Small nervousness was written on her face; no wonder, since she was looking forward of her very first protocol duty. Almost 21 years old Princess Sonia Acorn became a fine young lady during the past years. Real excitement came to her after receiving the task from her parents, King Sonic the Hedgehog and Queen Sally Acorn. However, she had some time to think back of that situation that had some kind of an odd atmosphere indeed.

**- Flashback -**

- You say that I have to welcome the special guests? – asked the princess in surprise.  
- Yes, my daughter. You'll officially be an adult soon and that means a whole lot of serious duties from then on. I thought that would be a perfect opportunity to practice a bit. – answered her mother with a tiny smile on her face at the end of the sentence.  
- That's right, Sonia. You'll be an important representative of the Kingdom. Fortunately you've had plenty of time to study these things. – added the King.  
Of course, Sonia understood the situation. However, she had a strange feeling that her parents didn't tell her something important.  
- Who are these people by the way? I think I should know some background information about them so things would go smoothly.  
- Don't worry about that, you will surely know what to do. For a good performance you have to know how to improvise. – told Sally with clearly secretive voice.  
The girl sighed and put her anxiety aside.  
- All right. I'll fulfil my duty of course, and do my very best. – she said self-confidently.  
- We're counting on you, sweetie! – finished Sonic with his characteristic wink-plus-thumbs-up combo.

**- End of flashback -**

So there she was, waiting for the guests to arrive. She had no idea of what to expect. Would she be able to greet them correctly? It would be awkward to do something wrong, or make a slip-up. Of course, she had been teached all about the etiquette since her childhood, but doing it for real was a completely different thing. Suddenly it came to her mind if her dressing was suitable for the occasion. She was told her usual street fashion would be fine, so she was wearing her all time favourite purple outfit of leotard, vest, belt and boots, completed with a mini-skirt and some jewelry. What if it's not elegant enough? How embarrassing! And to make things worse, there was a certain blue hedgehog with her.  
- Why are you here anyway, Manik? – she asked her 18 years old brother who looked almost exactly the same as their father.  
- No idea. Dad told me to escort you and as he said „give you some support". – he replied phlegmly.  
- It's not like you're the gratest backer of all times. – muttered the girl.  
- You think I would not have any better things to do than wasting my time here with you?  
- Like annoying others like you usually do?  
- Really, thanks for reminding me! Teasing you will be good enough for me while we're here. – he smirked.  
- I still can't believe that you're a crown prince with such a negative attitude.  
- Life is harsh. For me personally, it's comfortable to know that someone does these kind of stuff for me. – responded Manik mockingly.  
Sonia's blood began to boil in her body and she was about to give some of her mind to her perky little brother, when suddenly she heard the sound of a landing airplane. It came to a stop exactly at the place where it was expected. The plane itself wasn't big at all and has no ensigns on. It could be hardly believable that important people were travelling on it. Maybe they wanted to avoid enemy attacks, although there had been peace all over Mobius for the past five years. Since the crysis caused by the possible collapse of the fabric of space and time was solved by her father and his companions, Knuckles the Echidna and Miles 'Tails' Prower, there were no major problems on the planet. There was serenity and life was blooming – at least where it could. Also, her father and Tails began talking to each other more regularly, and that was a big progress in their relationship after they had separated their ways so fiercely. It happened eight long years ago, but it still felt like yesterday when the Prower family, Tails, Mina, Melody and Skye had moved awa to Downunda. She really missed her good girlfriend Melody and also Tails, who always was like a second father to her. She wondered if she could ever see them once again.  
Manik put off the princess from her thinking by nudging her a few times.  
- Maybe we should go there and greet them… - he said briefly.  
Sonia didn't say a word, only drew herself up and firmly stepped over to the stopped plane, closely followed by her brother. Her heart was throbbing in her throat, she didn't even remember if she was ever that nervous in her life. As soon as they reached the vehicle it's air-lock opened up. Seconds streched to minutes as she waited who's going to step out from there. The sight she saw soon made her breathing stop for a small second. There stood the person who was so important to her and had not being seen by her for so long time. The unmistakable double-tailed fox, being as handsome as she remembered him from the time he had moved away. Maybe he seemed even younger…  
Before anyone could say anything, Sonia fell upon the beloved person's neck with thrill of joy. What a moment! Suddenly however, it flashed through her mind that something was not right after all…  
- Wow, Skye! It's good to see that someone is so glad to see you. – said an awfully familiar voice from the background.  
The princess opened her eyes, and further back she sighted Melody, Mina and… Tails? She slowly drew back her head to look at the guy she jumped on. Shock and bewilderment was written all over his face as he looked back at her, two pair of blue eyes meeting each other for a few short seconds.  
- Skye? – she asked with high voice.  
- In person. – came his shaky answer.  
She released the boy as quickly as she jumped on him and stepped back as far as it was possible. An awkward silence fell on the group for a short time, which was finally cut off by the loud laughter of Manik and Melody. Sonia recomposed herself and greeted both Tails and Mina with a big hug. They didn't change much during the years. Mina had short and straight hair instead of the long and curly style, and had a one-piece green suit with purple belt and purple boots on her. Miles hadn't change his style since last time they saw each other. His wear was the same brown scarf, utility belt and boots. After greeting them, she turned to her girlfriend, Melody. They welcomed each other exultantly, skipping like they did when they were little child. She had long straight hair tied into a ponytail and the same wearing her mother had when she was young.  
- Could it be that you're our VIP guests? – asked Sonia.  
- I wouldn't call ourselves guests, since we're about to move back here. – answered Mina.  
- Really? That's great news! – rejoiced Manik while high-fived with his childhood friend, Skye.  
- Indeed! Though our parents should have informed us about that.

After everyone greeted each other they put the Prowers' packages into the vehicle waiting for them and got going from the airport.  
- I guess we're going to your place then. – said the princess.  
- Of course. We would like getting to work as soon as possible. – replied Tails.  
- There surely are a lot to do on our house after it was empty for that many years. – added Mina.  
There was a smooth mood during the ride. Everyone were chatting with one another about minor stuff, it almost felt like a common meeting. For a small moment, Sonia looked over to Skye secretly. His wear was a dark brown vest and the same type of utility belt and boots his father had, and of course he had the same kind pair of gloves on his hand. She still felt so embarrased for jumping on him like that. It was true that he looked so much like his father, but seeing them together the difference of their ages was obvious. How could she made such a mistake? As if he felt that someone was thinking about him, Skye suddenly looked at her. Their eyes met for a short second and then both of them looked out the window bemusedly. _Why am I feeling so awkward?_ She asked herself.  
- It's unbelievable this city had changed that much. – wondered Mina.  
- You're right, honey. It looks like Sonic does a perfect job despite he hates being a king. – reacted her husband.  
- If it depends on him, the whole place would be a huge running track. – joked Manik.  
It didn't last long until they arrived to their destination. The neighborhood was the same as they remembered it: quiet and calm. However, one major change was obvious for everybody.  
- Could this be our house? – wondered Melody.  
- I'm sure it stood here eight years ago... – answered Tails while getting out of the vehicle – But this...  
Not only the whole family, but also Manik and Sonia were amazed by the view. A completely renewed and expanded house stood in front of them, which would be easily enough to give space for more than one family at once. It was an amazing sight. At it's entrance, no others were waiting than the royal couple, Sonic and Sally. They both had a crown on their heads as it was expectable from a ruler pair. Sonic had nothing else on him except the pair of his well known red running shoes, while the queen's wear was her usual orange dress.  
- I've almost given up on you coming back. – dramatized the king.  
- I've just gone for a little trip with my family. I'm sorry it took so long. – answered Tails.  
The best friends, who shared fraternal relationship despite the few negative periods they experienced during the long years, shared a big hug with wide grins on their faces. After almost a decade, the two families were together once again without any conflicts and distances standing between them.  
- I guess this here is your project. – he continued while gesturing towards the building they stood before of.  
- Nah, I don't have time to build houses. I've just took care of it to be done. – replied Sonic with a wink.  
The Prowers occupied their old-new home. It wasn't simply renewed but it was much wider than how they left it. Even Skye and Melody had got their own living spaces. The house had a huge backyard with a pool and grill terrace, where everything were ready for a chili-dog fest.  
- That's the way I like it. No frill, only the good old chili-dog. – said Mina.  
- We thought that would be the best way to celebrate you're moving back to New Mobotropolis. That's not a small event after all. – replied Sally.  
- You could have informed us about this however. – complained Sonia.  
- Yeah! – cut in Manik - You would've spared some awkward moments to Skye-OUCH! – he was interrupted by his sister slapping his neck.  
- Why? What happened? – inquired Sally.  
Both Skye and Sonia reddened thinking back of the embarrassing moment.  
- You'll have enough time to tell stories while we're eating. Let's do it to it, I'm starving! – said Sonic.

As the fest began, all the members of both families sat around the big table that had different fine food on it. The whole situation remembered the elders of the good old times when they came together at Uncle Chuck's Dinner with their friends as Freedom Fighters. Of course, they were happy for the peaceful times they lived in at that moment.  
- What's the situation with the Downunda Freedom Fighters? – asked Sonic kinda officially.  
- We've reorganised it successfully. – replied Tails – We could recruit suitable members and their training was going easily. We've also renewed their HQ so it functions perfectly.  
- It seems like everything is so much easier during peacetime. – added Mina.  
- And kids, how was life for you over there?  
- Ah, it was total boredom, Aunt Sally! There's nothing to do there! It's a big no men's land! – complained Melody.  
- There surely are some more animate places on Mobius, but I guess Downunda has it's own romantic beauty. – said Sonia.  
- Maybe, but still. Anyway, at least I had more than enough time to practise singing.  
- Wow! So are you planning to follow to in your mother's track? – amazed Sally.  
- It's true that my daughter is so much like me... – said pridingly Mina - but I surely would be a bit staggered, if she ever exceed my career. – she joked.  
Everyone laughed.  
- You can already consider me as your biggest fan. – Sonia told to her girlfriend – Make it sure to inform me about your first concert!  
- Of course! – the two girls smiled to each other.  
- However Skye, I heard that you're taking a very different way your father did. – said Sonic to the young fox.  
Skye couldn't reply in an instant, as his mouth was full of a bigger bite of good chili-dog, so his father was the one to react.  
- My son is smarter than me and faster than his mother. But unlike me, he's not drawn by the mechanical stuff.  
- So what are you interested in? – asked the queen.  
- Archeology. – replied Skye with a single word after swallowing the food.  
- Archeo-WHAT?! – asked back Manik.  
- It's known for a long while there are a lot of fossils in that region. Since there are no danger of wars anywhere on Mobius, more and more researchers are showing up to excavate those. – said Tails.  
- Is that mean you're leading excavations? – asked Sonia with surprised voice.  
- Nah, I'm too under for that. – answered a perplexed Skye while scratching the back of his head – But I participated on a whole lot of those. We've found many interesting stuff from old ages, mostly the ancient ones.  
- He's only 18 years old, but his name is already well known amongst the archeologists. They arethe ones calling him to participate on the new excavations. – told Mina proudly.  
- It's not a big deal. – mumbled Skye shyly.

A short time later, the group finished eating. The sun began to set and everyone was hustling in the house since there was a lot of stuff to unpack. Melody was helped by Sonia, while the adults worked in the living quarter of Tails and Mina. Meanwhile Skye and Manik were packing in a room of Skye's place on it's second floor. It was kind of a working room and the boys were putting uncommon objects into a display.  
- Man, you've got a whole lot of junk here. – said Manik as he examined one of the odd stuff.  
- These are antiques that I've found. – answered Skye while grabbing the item from Manik's hand – And it took quite some time for me to restore them, so I would be glad if you don't touch them. Help me packing those books instead.  
- You became a bit weird you know.  
After working some, they were about to finish their job, when suddenly they heard knocking the door frame of the room. Sonia was standing there.  
- Dad and Tails need your help over there, Manik. – she said.  
- It seems like everyone needs my young titan strentgh. – dramatized the prince  
- Just don't strain yourself... – reacted Skye cynically – after you were helping me here THAT MUCH.  
Sonia giggled after hearing that. Manik made a sullen face, then responded.  
- I'm eager to see your speed that was mentioned many times already. I guess you could easily beat miss „princess-for-eternity" here. – he finished while pointing to his sister.  
Before she could retort, he was gone with stormy speed. Sonia took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.  
- I could be as fast as mister „show-off-prince", by the way. – she said stepping into the room – At least during the first few miles.  
Skye laughed sympathizingly while he was putting stuff onto his desk. Looking over there, Sonia saw it was almost fully packed though it was a huge one. Along his computer, there were a whale of precisely ordered documents and digital data containers. Also, there were some boxes under the desk with contractions written on them. _He's apparently working on something._ – she thought. Meanwhile she reached the show-case that contained plenty of unusual items. They were obviously old but taken good care of.  
- It's hard to believe what treasures could be found under the ground. How many other stuff could be hidden all over Mobius? – she wondered.  
- These are just small things. – said Skye while stepping beside the princess – Some of the excavations are huge as a city.  
- It's surely exciting. – she said dreamily.  
She continued browsing the items until a particular one cought her eye. It looked like a small telescope, but a lot of stuff were built around it: mirrors, shade glasses, a precisely scaled arc, and some kind of a tilting rod. She found it really interesting, and it's owner became aware of this.  
- I see you are interested in that weird one.  
- Yeah. I like investigating the stars.  
- It's true that's a telescope too, but it was built for a totally different purpose. – said Skye while picking out the object from the display and handed it to the girl cautiously. She was a bit unsure but accepted it in final. It had a bit of a weight, possibly because of the robust truss frame made of iron. She investigated the relic handed to her inquiringly but warily at the same time.  
- It's really pretty. – she sighed losted in it's sight.  
- It was in quite good condition when I found it. However, I had to work a lot on renovating. It wasn't easy with having no information about it. No one knows what's this at all. I think it worked out pretty well though. – he finished with a hint of pride in his voice.  
- And how does it operate? – asked Sonia while looking into the telescope.  
Skye was unsure of how to answer, but he found the solution soon.  
- Come on out, I'll show you.  
The room had a balcony on one of it's sides. It wasn't a big one, as it barely had enough space for both of them. Since it was on the second floor, and the house stood on a high point itself, the sea could be easily seen far away. The sun was almost totally set by then. Only the last rays of it and the brightness of the fully developed moon gave some light onto the sky, but that was quite enough to see the horizon clearly.  
- Look at the horizon through the telescope. – said Skye  
Sonia was doing as he instructed her. She held the object in her right hand, and looked into it's scope. Since she regularly used these kinds of things, she could easily adjust it's zoom with her left hand.  
- Okay, I've got it. What now?  
- Push that thing over there. – he pointet to the button on the bottom of the tilting rod – Then move the handle until you see the the moon on the horizon's picture.  
Now that operation was not that easy for her. She tried to handle it gingerly but simply couldn't find the harmony between her movements with the multiple picture she saw through the scope. Frustration was slowly taking over and it was more and more harder for her to hold the tool.  
- Looks like I can't do this. – she mumbled.  
- Let me help you.  
The young fox stood behind her. He lowered his head to the level of hers (he almost topped her by a head) so he could see the item as she saw it. He began to move his left hand to grab the tilting rod. Since it didn't had a big surface, the touch between their hands was unavoidable. The small physical contact and the fact they stood so close to each other didn't leave the princess unaware. After jumping onto the boy standing behind her earlier in the morning, she once again found herself in an intimate situation like this. Despite this she did her best to take control on her feelings and concentrate on the task.  
- If you keep your eye on the position of the index mirror from time to time, it'll be easier to adjust it. – said Skye calmly.  
At that point, the small distance between them became more obvious to her. As she felt his warm breath on her neck and also his manly odour that reflected the hard work he did during the day... _Now get a hold on yourself, little girl!_ – she warned herself mentally. In the meantime, Skye was apparently unaware of the situation; it seemed like he was totally lost in helping the maintenance of the item. Finally, Sonia's thoughts were interrupted when she saw the moon in the scope.  
- I see it! – she called out excitedly.  
- Perfect!  
After finishing the task, Skye finally realized the seriousness of the situation himself. Embarrasement attacked him as he abruptly took away his hand from hers and stepped away from the girl.  
- O-okay. – he stuttered – Adjust it until only the bottom of the moon is in level with the horizon. Then you can release the button.  
He tried to instruct calmly while he desperately tried to conseal his gasping. How could he lost it that much? Behaving with a girl like this, let alone with a princess. It would had been a lie to say it wasn't pleasant for him though. Feeling her nice, feminine scent and the soft touch of her hand... _Stop it right there, buddy. She's a royal lady. You could never be good enough for her._ – he thought to himself.  
- If you got that, you could check the position of the moon comparing to the horizon. – he explained - I believe this tool was used to navigate in ancient times.  
- That's totally cool. – she enthused while once again checking the device in her hand thoroughly.  
Then once again, awkward silence fell upon the young ones. They both smiled embarrassedly and tried their best to avoid looking at each other. None of them knew what to do or say next. They both waited for the other to make the next move.  
- Hello there, you lovebirds! – cut in Manik aloud – We're going home. I guess it wouldn't be a good idea for you to stay here after your first date. – he finished mockingly.  
Then he ran away once again. This time however, Sonia didn't let it unanswered. After giving back the relic to it's owner, she made a dash for her perky little brother. Skye stayed alone on the terrace with his belowed item and stormy thoughts.

A short time later, the two families bid their farewells in front of the house. Meanwhile the royal siblings exchanged spiky looks towards each other; their conflict obviously wasn't smooth away.  
- Thank you for everything. – told Mina gratefully.  
- Yeah, we're really touched by this greeting. - added Tails.  
- Don't be ridiculous. This is the least. We're a family after all! – reacted King Sonic in a more modest voice than what was usual from him.  
- We'll keep in touch then. At least it wouldn't be so hard from now on. – winked Sally. – And don't forget about my grown-up daughter's birthday gala next week! – she proclaimed, while sunggling the princess.  
- Yeah, everyone from the old team will be there. It's going to be a great opportunity to get together once again! – said Sonic excitedly.  
- It will be great! I could hardly wait for it! – rejoiced Mina.  
The members of the royal family started their way back to the Acorn Castle. After that, the Prowers moved back to their own house with the exception of Skye. He was looking up at the shiny moon while thinking back of the day's events. They were interesting indeed. Something told him that his life arrived to a turning-point.

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**So that was the first chapter. I hope you liked it, and share your opinion with me. I'll continue it as soon as I could. :)**


	2. Royal Celebration

**Hello everybody! I finally got to finish the 2nd chapter. It became a bit different than I originally planned it, but I'm pleased with it after all.**  
**Thanks everyone who viewed the story so far, and especially who follow it and put it into favourite. I hope you'll like this chapter also, have fun reading it.**

**And an important thing I forgot for first: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog.**

**Chapter 2: Royal Celebration**

It's already been a week since the Prowers moved back from Downunda. Everyone's home were equipped fully according to their personal style, and all of them tried getting used to the life in New Mobotropolis once again. Today was a special one however, and everyone was gettin ready excitedly for the upcoming event. It was early afternoon when Tails and Mina got ready with suiting up. Both of them were really elegant: Tails had dark brown suit with white shirt and black ties, while Mina's wear was a high-red one-shoulder dress with a georgette on it's right side, and she had a simple tiara on her head instead of the usual headbang. Tails had a smile on his face as he looked at his wife.  
- _I guess I'll have the most beautiful date as usual.  
_Mina chuckled softly as she stepped in front of her husband and reached for his chest.  
- _And I guess someone still doesn't know how to have a tie on._ – she told while correcting the specific accessory.  
- _My manual skills are specialized in other things. Besides, if I would learn this somehow, I would really miss this nice ritual._ – he answered with deep voice and pulled his beloved lady to him closely.  
They began to share small kisses, and they could've done this for a long while...  
- _Please! Don't you think it's too early for that? _– cut in Melody as she stepped into the room during the middle of the romantic moment – _Behave yourselves! The party didn't even start!  
_The girl's wear was a silky-black kimono style dress and her hair was tied up into a bun.  
- _Oh my! You're so pretty, dear!_ – squealed Mina.  
- _Are you surprised? She inherited your beauty._ – added Tails.  
Melody reddened for a moment, but composed herself quickly.  
- _I think we should go soon. Where's Skye?_

The young fox was spending his time in his working room. Of course, he was dressed up stylishly for the occasion: black suit, sky-blue shirt and golden colour tie that was had on perfectly. After he finished gettin prepared he was also about to join his parents. But something came into his mind suddenly, and he simply had to sit down to his computer and get to work. During the last week, Skye was totally digged in a project he had been working on for a while. That meant minimal rest for him and that was clearly written on his face. His desk, which was so well organised when he moved in, now was a total mess. Papers and mechanical parts were lying everywhere. The boy was typing wildly on his keyboard and glared at the display before him.  
- _Thank goodness this came into my head. It would be annoying, if I forgot about this._ – he thinked loudly.  
- _I can't believe you're working again!  
_Skye turned to the source of the voice and saw his sister standing in the doorway. Then he looked at his clock.  
- _Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize how time elapsed._ – he said laughing nervously.  
- _You'll get sick, if you keep up with this lifestyle, you know that?  
_- _Okay, there's no need of briefing me! We can go.  
_The siblings were on their way to join their parents.  
- _You're looking nice by the way. Boys will be amazed by your sight._ – said Skye tauntingly.  
- _That's what I expect. However, I guess I'm not the only one who plans attracting._ - Melody retorted.  
- _I don't know what you're talking about.  
_- _Oh, you'll see._ – told the girl eeriely.

In the Acorn Castle, the gala was already in progress. The corny ballroom was packed with well-groomed guests, including the pack of young royal boys, who all obviously waited for the celebrated princess. However, she still hadn't shown up on the event. The band played different songs for the public to dance. Skye was standing alone at the side of the room drinking a glass of drink while he mustered the crowd. He didn't have a relish for these kinds of events, since he didn't like being amongst this many people. He frowned as he looked at the way of the genteel toffs. He was near enough to hear out the talking of a group of those guys.  
- _The princess could really show up already!_ – said impatiently a tall and robust boy – _I didn't came so far to keep waiting that long!  
_- _I think you're fretting needlessly. If she sees your huge figure, she'll totally freak out for sure._ – joked a much smaller guy who received a death glare in exchange.  
- _Gentleman! Show more respect. Besides, you all will be disappointed at the ladies' choice dance, when the princess will ask me to dance with her._ – cut in the third member of the group.  
Skye couldn't bear hearing the lofty argument anymore, and stepped away from them. Meanwhile, he sighted his parents on the dancefloor. They were dancing to a slow music, looking into each other's eyes deeply and lovingly. Sometimes, he was amazed of how much they loved each other.  
- _I can't believe who we happen to bump into!  
_Snapping out of his thinking, Skye turned to the source of the voice. He was facing with guardian Lara-Su and her date, Argyle. They were both graceful: Argyle in his favourite smoking composition, while his partner in a magenta dress.  
- _It's been a long time._ – said Argyle as they shaked hands.  
- _I'm also glad we meet again. What's up with you? I've heard some rumors not long ago. Are they true?_ – asked Skye.  
As a reply, Lara-Su held up her left hand, having a shiny engagement ring on it.  
- _Yeah, I've asked the big question indeed._ – said Argyle shyly as he pulled his fiancée close to him.  
- _It was a heartwarming and embarrassing moment. There was no way I could say no. _– added Lara.  
- _That's great! Congratulations!  
_The music came to a stop by the end of their discussion, and a voice could be heard through the microphone.  
- _Ladies and Gentleman! I'm honoured to announce her majesty, Princess Sonia Acorn!  
_After the statement, the princess appeared at the entrance of the ballroom, escorted by her father on her left. Sonic was unusually neat in his black dress-coat with white shirt and bow-tie; he didn't get rid of his red running shoes for this event though. That wasn't matter of course, since all the eyes were fixed on the main character of the event, the celebrated young lady. She was absolutely gorgeous in her dark purple evening gown, with her tied up hair, and tiara on her head. She's beauty was the very delusion. All the young ladies looked at her enviously and admiringly at the same time, while the noble boys were simply dumbfounded by the sight. Even Skye's breathing stopped for a small moment. He could hardly believe she was the same girl who accidentally jumped on him a week ago, when he arrived with his family back from Downunda.  
- _This chick surely knows how to take the spotlight._ – whispered Lara-Su in amazement.  
- _She's beautiful indeed._ – reacted Argyle.  
Meanwhile, the father and daughter arrived to the middle of the dancefloor, and the announcer spoke again.  
- _And now, in respect of the tradition, the first dance is performed by the King and the Princess.  
_After that, Sonic and Sonia began to dance to the sweet music that sounded. The crowd watched their waltz admiringly. Skye practically couldn't take his eyes off of the dancing girl, who looked at her father with a lovely smile on her face as they danced. Unusual feelings swirled inside him and he didn't know where to put them. He was snapped out of his musing by an arm embracing his shoulders.  
- _Little brother! If you're gaping that much, you'll lost your chin. _– joked Melody.  
- _D-Don't be absurd!_ – he retorted jumpily as he pushed his sister's hand off of his shoulder.  
Melody just smiled suspiciously to him.

After a little time, the ball was in full swing. Skye was standing on a balcony of the ballroom, leaning on it's cold marble railing. There was a great view to the park-size castle garden, where a few love couples walked under the starry night sky. The young Prower thought sniffing a little fresh air would be better than being in the stifling crowd. He had never felt well in these kinds of events. He would more likely be at home to work on his project. It would had been a more useful way of spending his time than wasting it here. It's true that he met some friends he hadn't seen for a long time, but he simply couldn't get into a worthy conversation with any of them. He admired Sonia. Every time he saw her, she was chatting with a group or dancing with one of the gallant boys, and all this time she was smiling gracefully. He didn't know how she could deal with those drivelling sheiks, who all battled against each other for the favor of the princess abliquely, but obviously at the same time. His thinking was cut half abruptly.  
- _Would you mind, if I join you?  
_The boy looked at his side, and next to him there stood the girl he just thinked about. Tiredness was written on her face as she was staring out to the distance and taking deep breaths from the fresh night air.  
- _I don't mind at all. _– he replied – _But wouldn't the guests miss you from inside?  
_- _Ah, they've already had enough of me. I'm just conversing and dancing all night. I need some rest! _– she complained.  
Skye only smiled sympathetically. Nothing came into his mind what he could say.  
- _I guess, you're not a talkative type. _– she added, breaking the silence.  
- _To be honest, I'm not really a social one. _– answered the reddened boy.  
- _I'm sure you have a lot of interesting stories to tell. _– she tried to encourage him.  
- _I wouldn't like to bore others with my stories.  
_- _I would gladly listen to them. _– she finished softly.  
Hearing that, Skye looked at his party, who continued gazing forward.  
- _Sonia! _– sounded a rasping voice from behind them.  
They both turned around to see who was there. An old squirrel gent looked back at them strictly. He was sitting in a wheelchair.  
- _What are you doing here, daughter? You should be inside with the guests. _– he told flatly.  
- _I just came out to have some fresh air, grandfather. _– answered Sonia a with smile on her face.  
The old man then looked over to Skye, who felt cold shivers running down his back.  
- _And who's this young man? _– he asked.  
- _Oh, I'm sorry. He is Skye Prower. Skye, he's my grandfather, Maximillian Acorn. _– she introduced them officially.  
- _I'm honoured to meet you, sire. _– bowed Skye respectfully, and restlessly at the same time.  
- _Pleased to meet you. _– replied the late king solidly.  
The boy felt a hint of scorn in his voice also.  
- _Sonia please, come back to the ballroom. _– he directed his grandchild – _The ladies' choice dance is coming soon, and it's an important part of the event. Mr. Prower.  
_After finishing his speech, Maximillian went back into the castle. The young ones stood there in silence for a short time, then the princess spoke.  
- _I think, I really should go back. I hope we could talk more next time. _– she smiled, then went back to the ballroom.  
Skye turned back to look at the garden again. He still felt the cutting glance of the lord he just met. Most possibly the old fiasco that had happened between him and Amadeus, Skye's late grandfather, was still bugging him. Putting that aside, he began to think it really wouldn't hurt to socialize a bit more. He's not living in Downunda anymore after all.

The ceremony was nearing to it's end. Sonia finally found a group that was perfect for her. She was chatting with her best girlfriends: Lara-Su, Melody Prower, and Belle D'Coolette.  
- _Ah still can't believe you'll get married, girl! _– said Belle to Lara, with accent similar to her mother's.  
-_ But really. None of us even have a boyfriend. _– added Melody.  
- _What's the problem, girls? Don't tell me you cannot select from this bidding of boys. _– reacted the guardian girl with sarcasm.  
- _These sheiks are only here for our dearest princess ya'know. And it's the same with my brother. _– said the rabbit girl.  
- _I would bet the dingo guys in Downunda were better parties than these boys here. _– answered Sonia ironically.  
- _Very funny. _– cut back the mongoose girl – _I can see some good deals here, however.  
_- _Speaking of boys, Sonia, have decided who will you dance with? _– inquired Lara-Su.  
- _I don't find any of the boys appealing enough. I think I'll take the „neutral" way, and choose dad for it. _– said the princess with uncertain voice.  
She doesn't really wanted to participate in this part of the ball. Her grandfather took it way too seriously, and that made her anxious. Fortunately, her mother calmed her a little while ago.

**- Flashback -**

Sonia just finished a dance with Jacques D'Coolette.  
- _I appreciated za dance m'lady. _– said the coyote politely as he kissed the girl's hand – _I hope I'll have more chances to dance with your majesty.  
_- _We'll see. _– she replied simply – _But please, forget this formality stuff! We know each other for a long time already, there's no need for you to be that polite.  
_- _That's the standard for such an event.  
_- _If you say so. _– Sonia closed the discussion.  
She left her partner, and walked to the bar to have some refreshment. She was exhausted. From a point, she didn't even counted how many boys she danced with, but the number was at least 20 for sure. All of them were polite, and most of them were handsome too, but none of them were alluring enough for her. She sighed deeply by the weight of her dilemma.  
- _What's the matter, Sonia? That sigh sounded pretty agitated. _– asked her mother standing next to her.  
- _Nothing's wrong, mom. I'm just tired. I danced and talked with so many boys, but I don't really like any of them. Maybe there's something wrong with me.  
_- _Don't be silly, darling! _– said Sally as she comfortingly stroked her daughter's shoulder – _Although there were harder times when I was young, I also had similar kinds of problems. But you surely don't have to undertake anything you don't want.  
_- _Yes, I know that. But grandpa is really serious about that whole stuff.  
_- _He's been always like that, you don't have to worry about it. He's just angered by the fact I married your father instead of someone noble. I'm sure that's the reason.  
_- _Well, you two mixed me up in a good little scrape for sure. _– joked Sonia.  
- _I'm sorry, dear. _– laughed the queen softly, then changed to serious tone. – _Most importantly, whoever you choose for ladies' choice dance, his family will have far-reaching conclusions by it. So, if you're not sure what to do, don't choose anyone.  
_- _What should I do then? I couldn't say I don't want to participate in it, could I?_ – reasoned Sonia.  
- _It's simple: ask your father to dance with you. That way, you can make your opinion clear.  
_- _And wouldn't it make you mad, if I steal your partner?_ – she smiled to her mother.  
- _Don't worry about me, I could solve it somehow. _– laughed Sally.  
- _Thanks, mom. _– said the princess, as she hugged her mother and kissed her on the cheek – _I guess, I'm going out for some fresh air.  
_She said, and started walking to the way of the nearest balcony.

**- End of flashback -**

Sonia was snapped out of her thinking as the music stopped. The announcer stepped to the microphone once again.  
- _Our_ _honoured guests, it's time for the ladies' choice dance. I respectfully ask the princess to choose her partner, please.  
_Sonia walked up to the middle of the ballroom to fulfil the request. As she turned to the crowd, she saw all the noble youngs lined up, and excitedly waited for her to choose one of them. The time has come. Sonia decided not hurrying the decision, but once again thinking through the possibilities. However, as she surveyed all the boys, she once again realized that she didn't like any of them enough. In final, she tried to find her father to ask him as partner, but she didn't see him anywhere. _Where is he? _– she thought restlessly. As she continued looking, she abruptly found the solution. She smiled and started to the way of the one she picked out. Jacques D'Coolette was just in her way. He smiled proudly, since he was sure she was going to ask him for the dance. He straightened up and took a few steps forward. He was just about to say his words of acceptance. However, he was disappointed when the young lady didn't slow down at him, but went further. He turned after her in shock, and looked as she left the other boys, who also looked after her weirdly. Sonia didn't know where the resolve came from, but somehow she felt this was the perfect choice. She finally reached the person she spotted. She stood before him, elegantly held out her hand, and spoke with perfect formality.  
- _It would be an honour for me to have this dance with you, dear sir.  
_There was a dead silence as a stunned Skye Prower was looking back to the princess before him. In that very moment, he couldn't take in the whole situation, but it took only a moment for him to realize what was going on: the girl asked him to dance with her for real. He looked at the noble boys, who all looked daggers at him. It was an awkward moment, but he was a bit pleased for annoying them this much. However, he knew it wouldn't be proper to back out. So he drew himself up, looked into the girl's eyes, and took her hand.  
- _It's my honour, your serene highness._ – he replied firmly, and led her to the middle of the dancefloor.  
As they arrived there, they turned to face each other, while still holding hands. Skye put his free hand on Sonia's waist, and she put her free hand on his shoulder. Meanwhile, other guests stepped on the dancefloor for the last dance of the event. This time, Skye was the one to focus on keeping his feelings in check. Within a week, it was the third time he was this close to Sonia. The girl was undeniably beautiful, not to speak of how she looked like that night, but he still was only a common boy. He wasn't worthy to experience all these happenings.  
- _Ah, listen. I know I'm asking this a bit late, but do you know how to dance? – _she asked softly.  
Snapping out of his thinking, the fox boy looked into his partner's eyes. By that time, she also looked really nervous.  
- _Don't worry. I know a few steps. _– he winked at her reassuringly.  
A soft music sounded, and all the pairs began their dance. Skye led his partner professionally. As they got into their dance more and more, they both began to really enjoy themselves.  
-_ You're dancing really well. _– smiled Sonia.  
- _Fortunately, I've also inherited some feeling of rhythm from my mother.  
_- _How comes you didn't dance with anybody all night?  
_- _Well, you know... _– he didn't really know what to answer, so he changed topic – _Won't you be in trouble for dancing with me instead of someone else?  
_- _What's the matter? Are you afraid of the noble boys' revenge? _– she joked.  
- _Nah, I'm not afraid of the beau-army.  
_Sonia chuckled quietly. Skye turned her around a few times, then pulled her closely to him.  
- _But I thought this dance is meaningful. _– he said.  
- _It is for some people. My grandfather takes it very seriously. But I wouldn't choose a boy I don't like, just because he's angry for my parents' marriage.  
_- _Does that mean you like me? _– laughed Skye.  
- _Well... I think you're interesting. _– she said, reddening a bit – _I would really like to chat with you more in the future.  
_- _I-I'm glad to hear that. _– he also reddened.  
- _You'll come to the party tomorrow, right?  
_- _What party? _– asked Skye surprisedly.  
- _Don't you know about it? We'll have a private birthday party tomorrow. Only the close friends will be there. It'll be fun!  
_- _I was left out of this information somehow... but I'll be there, of course.  
_- _It would make me happy... _– she said with warm smile on her face.  
The music ended, and they stopped dancing. Skye politely bowed, and placed a kiss on his partner's hand.  
- _Thank you for the dance. _– he said.  
- _My pleasure. _– she smiled – _I gotta go now. The closing ceremony is coming next. I'll see you later.  
_Skye watched as the princess disappeared in the crowd. He thinked about the events just happened, and he hardly could believe them. He didn't have long time to think though.  
- _Congratulations, my friend. You've just got some new enemies. _– spoke up Jacques from behind him.  
- _I'm sorry for you being dropped because of me. I don't like to ruin others' fun either. _– replied Skye without even facing with the boy he was adressed by – _But I'm sure you agree it wouldn't be proper to reject her in that situation.  
_- _That's true. But I warn you: you shouldn't overrate this. _– said Jacques, already standing face to face with Skye – _I fully repsect the royal couple, but King Sonic was lucky to get married with Queen Sally. However, we're living in a different world now, and someone as low-class as you could never have a real chance with a noble lady like Sonia.  
_Somewhere deep inside, Skye was angered by this sniffy style, and the prideful face of the guy in front of him. He swallowed his feelings though, and reacted coolly.  
- _Right now, I have other kinds of plans to accomplish, so I don't have any time to start a relationship. You don't have to worry because of me.  
_Jacques didn't say anything more, only stepped aside with a delighted face. Skye sighed in frustration. He was a peaceful boy, but he simply couldn't bear it when wiseguys like Jacques wanted to tell him where his place is.  
- _Well done, son! I didn't know you have such an allurement! _– spoke up Tails while proudly patting his son's shoulders.  
- _You were doing great, Skye! _– added Mina – _I'm so proud of you!  
_The boy felt embarrassed. He wasn't happy to be in the middle of attention. It was like he was surrounded by both enemies and supporters in an instant. He began to miss the calmness of Downunda.  
- _Ladies and Gentleman! _– spoke up the announcer once again – _Please, pay attention for the event closing speech of her majesty, Princess Sonia Acorn.  
_The announced princess walked to the microphone. Her face was reflecting nobility and firmness. She was elegant and honourable as she stood there.  
- _Thank you very much for honouring us with your attendance. _– she began firmly – _As the princess of the Acorn Kingdom, I'm fully aware of the responsibilities and expectations I have to face with. Despite I'm not the crown princess, I'll serve the people of New Mobotropolis and Mobius with might and main. Thank you in advance for trusting in me.  
_As she finished her speech, Sally stepped beside her, and proudly placed a status symbol tiara-like crown on her head. The two ladies embraced each other, and the crowd appreciated the event with ovasion. With that, the gala came to it's end.

It was late night, when Skye was once again in his working room. He planned going to bed late, and working on his project a bit more. However, he couldn't focus on working. He was continuously thinking about the events of the day. He denied it, but he was squarely influenced by the attitude Sonia presented to him. Their dialogue, the ladies's choice dance, and her statement about wanting to chat with him more; did these things really have any meanings, and the noble youngs' fears were right? Or everyone – including himself – made wrong conclusions? However, the birthday party was nearing, and that made him anxious. He didn't really feel like going to it, but he had already promised to be there. Sonia was counting on him, and it wouldn't be nice to let her down.  
- _I guess I better go to sleep after all. _– he spoke to himself.  
Later, the boy was thinking in his bed. He felt his life is being too brisk abruptly. In Downunda, he only was concerned with studying, doing archeology, and training. That was a simple lifestyle to him. But he had began to do a serious project not long ago, he had to move with his family, and now these events of the last few days, it was too much. He couldn't imagine what would wait for him still.

**That was Chapter 2. Feel free to comment it, I'm curious of your opinion. I'll do my best to upload chapter 3 a.s.a.p.**


	3. Let's Lay a Bet!

**Hello Everyone!**

**So, CH3 is here! I hope you'll enjoy it, despite it's not my greatest work.**

**I would like to give my special thanks to:  
- ReeceTails for following this project from CH1, and helps me to progress with it. Thanks, mate! :)  
- GraceFace3 for the review and tips about the grammar. A you see, I took your advise. ^^**

**Also thanks to everyone who follows the fic, mark it as favourite, and read it. I'll appreciate every review. :)**

**I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog, neither any of Sonic characters.**

**-o-o-**

**Chapter 3: Let's Lay a Bet!**

The next day after the ball was sunny and hot, ideal for the fiesta that took place at the huge backyard of the Acorn Residence. On the grill terrace, the ladies were preparing the materials for cooking. At the side of the swimming pool, the girls were sunbathing, while fathers and boys were playing a match of beach volleyball on the sandy court a bit away. The atmosphere was simply perfect.

"So, have you already decided when you'll hold your wedding?" Sonia asked Lara-su.  
"Not yet. We're both very busy for that. As a newbie Guardian, I still have to work a lot to be acclaimed. And Argyle participates in reorganizing the Chaotix."  
"That's sad. I would really like to see you two getting married." commented Salma the Chameleon, who was also a guest along with her father, Espio.  
"We don't have to be quick. We have more than enough time to that. Let's talk about you, Sonia. Don't you want to tell us something?"  
All the girls turned their attention to the princess after hearing Lara-su's question. Sonia knew well what they wanted to talk about, but she tried to play innocent.  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
"Come on, sugah! We all saw that ominous dance of yours!" said Belle.  
"If I didn't know you, I would say you laid your eyes on my little brother." added Melody.  
"Is it true?" wondered Salma.  
The princess began to feel uncomfortable by the interrogation her girlfriends made. After the ball, she was thinking a lot about her attitude she showed towards the fox boy, and tried to find the reason of it. She simply couldn't answer to the questions honestly, and it wasn't her style to lie about anything. Deep in her soul she wanted to get out of this situation. Her wish came true abruptly. A volleyball fell into the water, and splattered a few drops of cold water on the girls. All of them were surprised by the unexpected cold feeling, but the real schock was just about to come.  
"CANONBALL!" shouted Manik and Argyle as they both jumped into the pool with a big splash.  
The raindrop of icecold water made the young ladies escape with a huge united scream. The boys were laughing wildly as they got out of the pool, Manik taking the particular toy with him.  
"Have you lost your mind?!" shouted an angry Lara-su.  
"Our fathers went to cook after we kicked their asses badly." answered Argyle.  
"We thought to shake you up bit, since it's your turn to play against us." added Manik, while he twirled the still wet ball on his finger, spraying the angry girls.  
The guardian girl took away the ball from Manik.  
"All right, you blockhead! Let's see what you've got!"

The teams stood up on the court facing each other. In the boys' team were Manik, Skye, Argyle and Jacques, while the girls' team included Lara-su, Sonia, Melody and Belle. Salma took the role of the referee. The match began. The young ones played vehemently, none of them wanted to give the victory to the other team. However, while Lara-su obviously led her team, the boys' game has no tactics at all, and they began to drop behind. When they were losing by five points, Skye decided to take control.  
"Time-out!" he said, and called the other boys together. "Okay guys, let's bring some tactics into our game! Jacques, you're serving good, so try to aim towards Sonia. She reacts to flat balls badly. Argyle, you can reach out two ways, and Lara-su likes knocking down. If you move to the wrong way, just use your tail. And Manik... you jump well, so always be near to the net, and try blocking."  
"What's the matter, boys? We're waiting for you!" said Lara-su impatiently.  
After briefing, the boys took their places and the game continued. The tactics brought effect, every single point of the girls got a reply of two points from the boys. By the end of the set, they had similar amount of points.  
"Match-ball! Last point wins!" shouted Salma.  
This time, Lara-su was the one to ask for time-out and call her teammates together.  
"Be cautious, they will change their style of play." whispered Skye to the others.  
The girls had the serve. The last game lasted for long minutes, as both teams blokked each others tries. Lara-su really wanted to put an end to this match, and tried to work Skye with a strong knock down. He jumped and barely hit back the ball, which was flying back directly to the guardian girl, giving her a new opportunity. Skye knew he won't have a chance to stand up and get this one, but he still tried it. After a strong shout from the girls' leader, the ball arrived with high speed. As the fox boy jumped for it, his hand avoided the flying object, which had arrived into his face with full force. The loud smack was followed by painful moans. Skye turned to his back and put his hands on his stingling face. The others ran to him.  
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Are you all right?" Lara-su asked worriedly.  
"How could he be?! You hit him with full force!" said Manik.  
"Baby, you used only your muscle for this hit, right?" worried Argyle.  
"I don't know, I was caught up in the moment!"  
"Then it's a miracle he's still alive!" cut in the prince.  
"Calm down, guys. I'm okay." said a moaning Skye, as he sat up.  
He still felt dizzy by the power of the impact, so he held up his hand to ask somebody helping him to stand up. Lara-su took his hand and pulled him up from the ground easily.  
"I'm really sorry."  
"Don't worry about it. It was a nice hit, by the way." said Skye as he rubbed his aching face.  
"That means the girls' team won!" announced Salma.  
"Oh no, they didn't! This is not a boxing match, they couldn't win with a knock out!" complained Manik.  
"Hey kids! The food is ready! Come to eat!" shouted Knuckles.  
"Come on, Manik. Sometimes you have to accept defeat." said Jacques as he led the prince to the way of the terrace.  
Everyone went to have lunch, but Skye stayed at his place waiting his dizziness to disappear. Sonia noticed this and turned back to the boy.  
"Are you okay?" she asked.  
"Yeah, I'm fine." he still rubbed the area of his left eye as he answered.  
"Let me see it." she said, and gently pushed the boy's hand away.  
She leaned close to him to see his bruise, and saw it began to swell.  
"That's not looking good." she told quietly.  
All of a sudden, she reached for Skye's face to touch the injury. He stepped back a bit; he didn't know if the pain or the unexpected feeling of the girl's touch made him to do this.  
"Oh, sorry. I know a good concoction for swathing. I'll make some for you later."  
"Thank you." he replied with reddened face, then they both went to eat.

After the square meal, the princess and Skye went to the kitchen to prepare the pack for his eye. Lara-su was also with them, she helped Sonia in cooking. The Prower boy was sitting patiently on a chair. His eye became really swollen by that time.  
"I'm very sorry for making you work on your birthday party." he apologised softly.  
"Don't be silly! We have to cure a bruise like that." she said smiling at him sympathetically.  
"Besides, I'm the one who should feel guilty instead. I made you injured after all." added Lara-su, before she turned back to her girlfriend. "So, you'll nominate yourself to be a council member, won't you?"  
"Yes, the elections are coming soon. I thought if I would never get on the throne, at least I would serve people this way. I hope I could get in though."  
Skye also became aware of their discussion.  
"Of course you could! As a princess you're more popular than you mother was." Lara-su encouraged her.  
"Dad will also try to get into the council." joined the boy.  
"Really? That's great. He'll surely success. People willingly elect former Freedom Fighters." rejoiced Sonia.  
The fox boy speculated a bit. If his father and Sonia would be council members also, he could get support much more easily for putting his project into practical.  
"I think it's done." stated the princess.  
She soaked a piece of clout in the brew. Then she took it to the injured boy to carefully put it on his eye.  
"This will ease down the swelling." she explained.  
While she fixed the pack with an eyepatch, Skye was following her every move with his free eye. She was graceful and gentle, and did everything religiously. After experiencing so many similar situations, he began getting used to her nearness. After finishing to place the pack on, Sonia stepped back aside her girlfriend. The girls observed the result of their work from afar. Their smile became wider and wider, and they semmingly tried hard to hold back their laugh. Of course, Skye understood the situation right away.  
"Do I look that good?" he asked sarcastically.  
The girls couldn't hold back anymore and they both laughed hard.  
"You're looking like a messed up badguy!" howled the guardian girl.  
"Exactly! Our fathers surely had enemies with similar looks, when they were young!" added the princess.  
Skye frowned a bit. He didn't mind to bring some joy, but the moment was embarrassing for him. Seeing his reaction, Sonia tried to get a hold on herself, with small success.  
"We're sorry. But you're looking so cute! Here, let me show you."  
She held a small mirror in front of him. He looked at his reflection for a little longer, then he also laughed on himself.

After Skye, Sonia and Lara-su went to the gaming room to join the others, who also laughed a good on the fox boy's temporary appearance, it was time to give the presents to the birthday girl. The young Prower was glad to be out of attention finally. He was getting bored of the funny remarks about his villain-like look. He was observing quietly from the back as the others gave their presents to the princess. She rejoiced over every single present she received. She obviously cherished the kindness of her friends. The most touching moment was provided by Melody, who performed her very first song, accompanied with a guitar play. She wrote it in honour of her girlfriend. The princess was so touched her blue eyes were sparkling from the tears of joy. Skye thoughtfully followed the event, or more likely Sonia's reactions. He was so enchanted he didn't even noticed when his sister finished her song, which was rewarded with burst of applause by the others.  
"I guess only this handsome guy is left." said Manik as he patted his wandering friend's shoulder.  
The fox boy quickly returned from his thinking, and handed his well wrapped present to the princess.  
"To tell the truth, it was a sudden idea. But I hope you'll like it." he said a bit uncertainly.  
The girl unfolded the package gingerly. The lining in it suggested there was a precious item in it. When her hand finally touched it, she pulled it out very carefully. She was really surprised by the sight of the telescope they used together to observe the horizon a week ago. The memory of that moment came to her mind. It was a bit weird, but a pleasing experience for her in the same time.  
"Do you really want to give me this?" she said, while looking at Skye wonderingly.  
"Well, I saw you liked it. I thought it would be in good hands here." he rubbed the back of his head.  
"Thank you very much. I'll cherish it." she finished warmly.  
They looked into each other's eyes. It lasted for seconds only, but stretched to minutes for Skye. He was totally lost in the girl's shiny blue eyes. He saw something else in them besides her happyness, but he didn't know what it was.  
"Okay, keep this fluffy moment for later! Now it's time to party!" cut in the prince.

The gaming room had a lot of stuff to spend time with: bowling, pool, darts, and other games. Despite that, the girls were sitting around a table and chatting gleefully. Jacques and Argyle were in the middle of a bowling game, while Manik and Skye were playing pool. The prince just made his umpteenth well aimed shot.  
"Man, you're really good at this." acknowledged Skye.  
"I've learned from dad. He's a master in this game." bragged Manik.  
"At least aiming is easier for me with this ridiculous eyepatch."  
The boys went on with the game, and Skye was clearly loosing in it. He didn't mind it though. From time to time he glanced over to Sonia, who enjoyed the company of her girlfriends with sunny smile on her face.  
"Dude, tell me honestly. Why are you so drawn to my sister?" Manik asked.  
"What are you talking about?" he asked back.  
"Don't play dumb! I see how you look at her. However, it seems like she's interested too."  
"Oh, come on! You're totally wrong. Besides, I'm under her rank." he finished with a bit disappointed voice.  
"She doesn't make a big deal about that, believe me. And I see what I see, no matter how much you deny it!"  
"Could we change the subject, lightning boy?"  
"By the way, if we speak about speed. How fast you could run actually?" the prince asked curiously.  
"I don't know exactly. I've never timed it."  
"Don't give me that crap!"  
"I just run to train myself. And not to showoff like you do."  
"However, I've heard a lot about it from our parents. I would really like to know which one of us is faster."  
"You seriously want to race with me, don't you?"  
"What's the matter? Are you afraid of being defeated?" Manik asked defiantly.  
"I told you I don't make a prestige about it, so..."  
"All right then! Hey guys! Me and Skye are going to race against each other!" proclaimed the young prince.  
"What?! No way! I said..." Skye desperately tried to get out of this challenge, but everyone else was getting excited about it.  
"Really? I'm curious about it!" said Lara-su.  
"Me too. I heard this and that about Skye's speed." added Argyle.  
"Listen, I really don't want to..." the fox boy still resisted.  
"I would gladly see how you cut my big mouthed brother's comb." cut in Sonia with excited smile on her face.  
The enthusiasm of the princess toned up Skye's spirit in a moment.  
"All right then! Let's see what we've got!" he said.

The company arrived to the running track outside the castle. It was a great course for high-speed running: good grip, banked turns, and some abstacles to practice maneuvering. The racers took on locating bangles, since their position on the track would barely be perceptible to the eye. Also the others could see the times of each runner, so it would be easy to see who's the winner. None of them could lay a bet on who would be faster. And speaking about bets.  
"Why don't we make a bet to give a bit more excitement to the event?" Manik asked.  
"What are you thinking about?" Skye asked back suspiciously.  
After mulling on it a bit, the prince's eyes kindled.  
"The loser's sister will go to a date with the winner!"  
"WHAT?" shrieked Melody.  
"Don't be ridiculous! We don't have to bet, just let's get this over already." answered Skye coolly.  
"Of course you won't bet! Sonia, don't you want to say something?" the furious mongoose girl asked her girlfriend.  
"I don't really mind." she said simply.  
Skye was a bit disappointed by the girls' reactions. For him it seemed like they were absolutely sure in his defeat.  
"Then make a deal, and let's get it started already!" enthused Argyle.  
"Come on Melody, don't be so tough. You'll get yourself out of it somehow." said Salma.  
Finally, the Prower girl sighed in defeat.  
"All right, I'm in. But just for the sake of the others."  
"Cool! It's a whizz!" declared Manik happily, and shaked hands with Skye. "Let's do it to it!"  
"As you wish." said Skye with cool firmness, and went to the way of the start line.  
"I really hope you'll win, little brother!" shouted Melody.  
"Relax! He'll solve this, even with half an eye" joked Lara-su.  
Hearing this, Skye quickly removed his bandage. Both boys stood on the start line, and stretched their muscles before the race.  
"Okay, 50 laps on the track! Who accomplish it quicker, wins!" declared Argyle, as the racers got into starting position. "Then ready! Get set! GO!"  
The two boys shooted out with high speed, and disappeared from the others' eyesight in a moment. The blue and brown blurs circulated on the track as quick as lightning, and they seemingly drifted together. Their friends closely watched the time results on the displays. Half-way down, however, differences began to show up between the two boys.  
"Skye is keeping up pretty well, but dropping behind slowly. If it goes like this, the difference will be quite big between them." Argyle analysed the situation.  
"Manik has a really good stamina, so Skye's performance is already remarkable." added Sonia.  
"Do not conclude anything yet. My brother still hasn't played his trump card." Melody warned the others.  
The race was nearing to the end, and Skye became aware to his growing disadvantage. _It's now or never. _– he thought. He began to spin his double-tails like he wanted to fly. But his intentions were way different this time. A few laps later, he completely fetched up with his rival. The others were amazed by the changing in the race.  
"This is prodigious! Where this extra speed came from?" wondered Belle.  
"This is Skye's speciality. By combining his abilities, he can generate thrust with his tails while running. He can speed up more with this." explained Melody.  
"But then why isn't he using it from the start?" Jacques asked.  
"It takes a whole lot of energy from him. He could use this ability only for a short amount of time, before he totally tires out himself. He's been practicing for years to perfect his timing and recognise his limits."  
"Amazing." added Sonia quietly.  
"It's going to be a tie!" said Argyle excitedly.  
Everyone was looking tensely as the racers zipped through the home straight. After crossing the finish line, they could stop only meters away from it. They both gasped for air. Skye couldn't even stand on his feet anymore, so he sit down on the ground instead.  
"You know... you're tougher... than I thought." the prince gasped out.  
Skye couldn't reply, he just panted heavily.  
"Guys, that was awesome!" rejoiced Lara-su as they walked over to the tired boys.  
"And I have the results in my hands. Seeing the final times, the victory depended only on 0.05 seconds. And our winner is none other than Skye!" declared Argyle.  
The others appreciated his result with applause. He still tried to catch some breath, but smiled contentedly. However, Manik was totally dumbfounded.  
"That couldn't be true! It's surely a mistake!" he gaspet out.  
"It's surely not. The photo-finish makes it absolutely obvious." reacted Sonia as she handed the premised picture to him.  
He checked it closely, and became more surprised.  
"I can't believe this! I want a rematch!" he declared.  
"Sure! Next week maybe. My muscles will probably be regenerated by then." replied Skye, still sitting on the ground.

It was getting late, and the party came to an end. Almost all the guests marched off to their homes or guest rooms. Melody had already joined her parents in the hall, where the royal couple were saying goodbye to the Prower family. Skye had to go to the toilet, which was a little walk away from there. As he was on his way back to his family, he abruptly ran into Princess Sonia, who had a small package with her. No matter how wide the corridor was, they met each other face to face. They once again looked into each others' eyes for a few seconds, then both of them turned their heads away in embarrassment and tried to fix their gazes on something else. Finally, the boy looked at the box in the girl's hand.  
"Is there something important in it?" he asked.  
"I've just remembered I left your present in the gaming room. I wanted to take it to my room before I forget about it. I would be really sad, if something would happen to it there." she held the package closer to her, while finishing her sentence.  
"I see. The party was great. I've had a good time."  
"Even though you were anguished so badly? First the hit in your face, and then that tiresome foot-race. Your eye is looking pretty good, by the way." she said, while observing the boy's face closely.  
The mention of the race brang up Skye's polite attitude.  
"Listen, as for that stupid betting, I don't intend to take it seriously, of course. So you don't have to date with me just because of that." he said deliberately, though his heart wanted him to say it's opposite.  
The princess' face reddened before she reacted.  
"To be honest, I wouldn't mind at all. I'll be busy for the next few weeks, but..." she took a deep breath. "After the elections, I'll surely have some free time. I would gladly meet you then." she finished quietly.  
Skye was totally taken aback by her remark. It was hard for him to keep his ballance.  
"Ah... Okay! We'll... discuss it later." he stattered.  
The girl just nodded and slowly stepped around Skye, so she could continue her way to her room. She took her first few steps backwards to throw one last glance at the boy, then turned around to walk away. She wasn't running, but walking quickly. Skye dumbfoundedly looked after her for a few minutes. He felt a bit confused. When he talked to Jacques D'Coolette about his stance with relationships, he really meant what he said. But at that very moment, he wasn't so sure if he would honsetly think the same way.

**-o-o-**

**That was CH3. I hope you liked it. From now on, I plan to speed up the events, so follow my fic henceforward. ^^**


	4. What we must protect

**Hello again! :)**

**CH4 is finally ready! I hope you'll like it, and share your opinions.**

**I would like to give my special thanks to ReeceTails for helping me creating NICKI. :)**  
**And thanks everyone who reads my fanfic. Please, review. :)**

**All STH characters belong to Archie Comics and SEGA.**  
**NICKI as OC belongs to me and ReeceTails.**

**-o-o-**

**Chapter 4: What we must protect**

In a wing of the Prower residence, young Skye was spending his time in his working room, as he did it regularly for weeks. He didn't have time to waste. There were only a few days until the election of the council members. He wasn't really excited about the election itself. Though quite a lot of people nominated themselves for the only eight posts, he decided long ago who he'll vote for. His father Tails, and Princess Sonia also declared for the election. Not only his relationship with them made his decision obvious, but it was important for his long term interest. However, he was a bit surprised by Jacques D'Coolette's nomination. It explained why the noble boy apologized to him so affably at Sonia's birthday party. The two boys had a small battle of words about the princess at the ball the previous night of the party. But it didn't matter anymore. They had seathed the sword, and Skye decided to give his vote for Jacques too in the name of good-fellowship.

For Skye, the issue of who'll be in the Council of Acorn was important for a way different reason, and that's why he'd been working so much for almost a whole month. At the first conference of the new council, he wanted to present his project and get their permission to develop his idea. After so many years of tiresome excavating, long researching, and lots of planning his plans could finally become real. If everything would go well. Otherwise, all his effort would be for nothing. But it was already too important for him to fail. That's why he played it safe and tried to bring his presentation to perfection. His intense working was interrupted by a knock on his door.  
"Come in!" he replied.  
His father stepped into the room.  
"Hello Skye! I see you still don't have a rest." he said, while he looked around the messy room. "Cleaning up this mess would be refreshing, you know." he joked.  
"I'll do it after finishing this. What can I do for you?" Skye asked, not looking up from his display.  
"Well, I've just received a call from Sonia." he paused a little, but when he saw his son's exhilarated attention after hearing the girl's name, he smiled and went on. "She asked me to create a personal assistant that would help her managing her duties."  
"Sounds like a good idea. Will you do it?"  
"You know well I'm preparing myself for the elections. I'm full of work!" dramatized Tails.  
"Welcome to the club." came the boy's sarcastic reply.  
"However, I told her you would gladly do it." he grinned.  
"Wow, how generous of you! I also have a whole lot of work to do, if you didn't know about it yet!"  
"Oh, come on! For the sake of a lovely girl like her, you surely could spare some time. Besides, she said it's not too urgent. And she seemed to be glad you would assume it."  
Skye considered it. To be honest, he didn't really like the idea of an extra duty, but it was for Sonia. With a big sigh he admitted that he couldn't say no.  
"All right. I'll see what I could do." he said.  
"You are a gentleman! Feel free to ask for NICOLE's help." said Tails and went to the way of the door.  
"Dad, can I ask you something?"  
Tails turned back to his son, and saw on his face he had a serious question. He nodded to him to go on.  
"How did you realise that you love mom?" he asked shyly.  
His father smiled at him warmly.  
"Well, I could say it came unexpectedly. Those times were really hard, you know. We've known each other for years, but I've never thought about her like that. It simply happened."  
"That doesn't sound very romantic." reacted Skye calmly.  
"Life's not always romantic. But the past years had made it up to us for that richly." Tails winked, but saw the uncertainty in his son's eyes. "Is there something that troubles you?"  
Skye was tumbling in his chair uncomfortably, and finally he felt better to stand up from it.  
"Well... I think the princess... I mean... You know it. Everyone know it. I'm not even denying it anymore. What if my feelings are not right?"  
Tails looked back at his son sympathetically. He stepped to him and put his hands on his shoulders.  
"You're an intelligent and well-mannered boy. You clearly know what is or not right. And this also depends on her. Do you think she wouldn't return your feelings?"  
The boy just shook his head.  
"Then don't think about this. Do as your heart says. Love is always a thing of two people, and no one else have voice in it."  
Skye silently elaborated his father words, then looked up at him with a tiny smile.  
"Thanks, dad." he said with deep gratitude, and hugged his father.  
Tails returned the hug. He was touched by the moment.  
"You're a great boy, son. I'm sure she knows that too."  
After a few seconds, they released each other.  
"I guess I better get back to work." said the boy.  
"All right. Make me proud!" said Tails with a thumbs-up.  
After he left, Skye thinked about their conversation. His father was right. There was nothing against of getting know the princess better. Except the opinion of a few people, but as it was said to him just before, it doesn't depend on outsiders.

One week later, Skye was waiting in the hallway of the town hall. He was well prepared for the presentation, but he was really nervous though. Luckily the elections turned out as he expected. Both his father and Princess Sonia were voted to be members of the council, in addition the King and Queen were originally in it. But that was still only three out of nine possible votes (since the royal couple counted as one), the other members meant uncertainity. It was true that Jacques was also in the council and they were okay with each other, but he still didn't rely on his support.  
In the council-chamber the first conference was already in progress. At the beginning of the day, Sonia was excited about the tasks waited for her. It was her old dream to serve the people, and she finally got the opportunity to do it. However, this day didn't bring that much of excitement. They decided about a few important, but not significant issues, mostly about the maintenance of the city.  
"Our next case at issue: Skye Prower would like to present a project to get it admitted by the council." announced a lady member, who led the conference.  
By hearing that, Sonia's attention woke up. The door of the room opened, and the young boy stepped in. He seemed to be spirited, but amazed at the same time, as he looked around the huge room. After he stepped before the council, he politely bowed his head.  
"Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you very much for the opportunity. I would like to present you my plans of an organization, that will secure the long-term safety of Mobius' citizens."  
With that, Skye began his long presentation of a versatile and quickly operational military organization, which functions would be defending the inhabitants of the planet, fulfilling saving oparation in case of natural disasters, and helping police forces when it's needed. He expansively described the organizational set-up, technologic solutions, and equipment. All of this based on his work he had done for the past years. The princess was amazed by the solidity and definiteness the boy eventuated with. She saw a whole new side of him at that moment. After finishing his presentation, noise began to fill the room as the council members and people from the audience discussed about the things they jus heard.  
"Quiet, please!" ordered the leader. "Whichever member wants to say or ask something, sign it with uprising hand."  
Jacques D'Coolette was the first to speak up.  
"Do you really feel an organization like this necessary? I would remind you there's peace on the planet for almost a decate. Dr Eggman is a thing of the past, and there are no threats on this world anymore." he stated his reasons to disagree.  
Skye was not surprised by this, so he could answer coolly.  
"Indeed, we've been living times of peace for the last few years. Thanks to this, the society began to increase rapidly. Technology is more and more developed, and cities are bigger and bigger. An advancement like this unavoidably brings negative effects we should be prepared for. Also, in contempt of Dr. Eggman's liquidation we don't have an idea of what remained of his late empire. And don't forget about Lien-da and her terrorist group, the Dark Presence. We don't know anything about them since they disappeared after they failed sabotaging King Sonic's 'time-paradox' mission. So considering all these things, I'm more than sure of it's significance."  
It saddened Sonia to hear about that last example. She remembered Salma's depression when she found out about Rutan's disappearance, and his act in that particular group.  
"But the old civil defending groups are continuously getting reorganized. Isn't it more than enough to ensure the citizens' safety?" questioned an other member.  
"The growing population makes the old 'freedom fighter' system less effective. Of course, it's really good to have people with special abilities who devotes their power for defending people, but they'll surely need help in a lot of situations."  
Despite his firm answers and obvious reasonings, most of the members were not convinced. They quizzed him at large about the technology, social impacts, financing, and so on. The situation got vexed. Sonia observed quietly as Skye's face reflected more and more uncertainty. He obviously didn't expect reactions like these. The jarring of the members once again caused big noise in the room.  
"Dear council members! This manner is not live up the Council of Acorn!" the queen cut in strictly. "I suggest to hold a break until the council members debate the issue."

Skye was standing in the hallway once again, waiting for the council to make decision. He was shocked by the vehement reactions of the members. He was expecting some objections, but that situation seemed too hard. Some people from the audience also made cutting glances towards him. There were strict terms to it, but civilians could visit the conferences. Some of them apparently disagreed with his idea too. Maybe his whole project was about to end up in smoke. That waiting was nerve-racking to him.  
"Skye my son! You were so neat there!" jumped his mother before him happily.  
"It was quite a storm you generated in there, little brother." added his sister.  
The Prower ladies also were amongst the audience, since two of their relatives were concerned in the first conference.  
"Well, I strongly doubt in my success after all these." answered Skye rejectedly.  
"Don't give up already! Sally didn't suggested the brake for nothing. There are some hot-headed guys in the council. Now she's surely casting a chill upon them, and making them discuss your issue thoroughly." Mina encouraged him.  
"Speaking about thoroughness, the brake already lasts for half an hour." he said anxiously.  
He didn't need more, the sign of the end of the brake sounded. The spectators went back to their place, and Skye was also let back into the room. After he stepped back to his place, extreme nervousness came over him. It was like he was standing before an execution squad. The conference leader stood up from her seat.  
"Thank you for eceryone's patience. Does any member want to say or ask something before the council vote about Skye Prower's suggestion?"  
For a few seconds, nothing happened. The silence was deafening for the boy, who felt like his nerves will give up shortly. Then finally a hand raised up. The princess wanted to talk.  
"I would have one question. What's your personal motivation behind this project?"  
Skye looked back at her surprisedly. He thinked about his answer for a few seconds, but he could conceive it quickly.  
"Well, we're all fully aware of who we could be thankful to for bringing peace to this planet. They're the people who served us devotedly. The heroes like King Sonic, Queen Sally, my own parents, and everyone else who risked or gave their own lives for defeating evil. I believe, my generation must protect everything that could be thank to the sacrifices of these heroes. This is my motivation."  
After finishing his speech, he looked at each of the council members. Most of them were astonished, Sonia was looking back at him wonderingly, and his father had a proud smile on his face. After a short silence, the conference leader talked once again.  
"I hereby put to the vote the following issue: permit Skye Prower to tentatively establish a military unit that is small in numbers. Every member who agrees, sign it with uprised hands."  
All the members accepted the proposition. Skye didn't believe his eyes. A few moments ago he was absolutely sure in his failure, but in final he got full support. Okay, it was only for a tentative level, but it was already a straight road to reach his goal. He did his best to hold back his happyness as he said his thanks to the council.  
"Thank you very much for your trust! I promise you won't regret it!"  
Mission accomplished! Years of working finally yield. His enthusiasm was limitless. However, he decided to finish an other job before he gets lost into the new phase of his project.

In one of the working rooms of the Acorn Castle, Princess Sonia was doing her administrative tasks. She had been in the council only for a week, but it already took effect in the amount of work she had to do. It's not like she wasn't prepared for it. That's why she chose that particular room after she decided to nominate herself to the election. It was a huge and bright place with lots of big windows. It was better to work in this natural shine. In addition, the bunch of books could give an opportunity for a bit of relaxation anytime. The paperwork itself was not so entertaining though. Duty is duty of course, but that monotonity was maddening her. Since she was working for a few hours already, she wouldn't mind if something interrupted this flatness. Her wish came true when a well known holographic figure appeared in front of her desk. The princes looked up at NICOLE with a smile.  
"Skye Prower wants to talk with you." said the artifical intelligence program.  
Sonia's eyes kindled after hearing the name. Somehow she was happy to meet him again. Since he moved back with his family, they'd had only a few opportunities to talk. But those moments were all exceptional for sure. Deep inside she knew she wanted to know the boy better. She quickly snapped herself out of her thinking.  
"Thanks, NICOLE. Let him in, please."  
The lynx disappeared as quickly as she appeared. A few moments later, the door opened and the young fox boy stepped in the room. He walked to the princess' desk with severe steps. She stood up from her chair to welcome him properly.  
"I'm glad to see you. Have a seat, please."  
They both sat down. Skye's heart was filled with warmness by the sight of the beautiful girl before him. For a time, he was sure he liked the princess. Very much. However, he couldn't convince himself about his feelings' propriety. He simply couldn't imagine a simple boy like him could ever get closer to a fine and noble lady like her.  
"So, what can I do for you?" she finally asked.  
Skye quickly got back to reality.  
"Ah, yes. So, I'm ready with the program you asked for."  
And with that, he handed over a purple device that looked like a tablet. Sonia studied the machine, then reached for it's starter button. Before she pushed it, she looked at it's inventor.  
"You can push it."  
The princess turned on the device. It's display flashed, and a few momets later a robotic voice talked.  
"Voice identification."  
Sonia once again looked at the boy, who just nodded to her encouragingly.  
"Sonia Acorn." she said to it.  
From that the system activated, and once again a holographic figure began to appear beside the desk. Finally a young lynx girl stood there. Her fur was light brown with darker shades that were moulded similarly to NICOLE's. Her hair reached her shoulders and was diversified, and had rich bangs in front. Her eyes were golden yellow. Her wear was a blue short sleeved shirt, a grey mini skirt, and black boots. After taking full shape, she smiled to the princess, and spoke with natural and soft voice.  
"I'm pleased to meet you, Princess Sonia. My name's NICKI, at your service." she said politely.  
"It's my pleasure, NICKI." after returning the greeting, the princess turned back to Skye. "Did you do it all by yourself?" she wondered.  
"Not exactly." said the boy meekly. "NICOLE helped me out. NICKI is an artifical intelligence program created with similar basics, only she has a more limited margine. Within the device's 100 metres range she could appear anywhere in the city. In other places you can use the device itself. I programmed her to obey only for you and your relatives. She manages your desk calendar, sorts your documents, helps with communication. So she's a real personal assistent who's at your service anywhere on the planet." he explained keenly.  
The princess felt the pride in the boy's voice. She was amazed by the spirit he showed sometimes.  
"That's very cool! I wanted it exactly like this. I'm really grateful." she said with warm smile. "I owe you one."  
"Oh, come on! It was my pleasure to do it. Besides, you've already thanked me with supporting my idea on the conference. It meant a lot to me."  
The princess nodded in understanding. For a few minutes, the young ones smiled at each other, then Skye came back into reality.  
"Well, I gave you what I wanted. I guess I better let you work." he said quickly and stood up from his chair. "Make good use of NICKI."  
As he started to the way of the door, the princess spoke.  
"Wait a second! Wouldn't you like to stay for a tea? I would need some rest anyway." she asked timidly.  
The boy looked at her long. Her light-blue eyes were almost pleading to him. Finally he vaguely accepted her invitation with a nod.

In an other corner of the room under one of the huge windows, Skye was sitting at a table waiting patiently for his tea. Not far from him, Sonia was preparing the hot drink on a counter. She had a unique tea-set, so she obviously loved this drink. She poured the boiled water into the nice-looking porcelain teapot. Skye couldn't get bored of watching the girl's elegant and graceful moves. She was so perfect it was simply unreal. He tried to cover his amazement when she arrived to him with the tea-set. She put the tray on the table carefully, then poured the steaming liquid into one of the cups, which she handed over to her guest. Skye smelled the drink, it had a refreshing scent.  
"That's my favourite black tea." said the princess as she sat down in front of the boy, with an other cup in her hand. "That's the best when you work a lot. It livens the spirit. And it seems like you need it." she refered to his tired looking eyes.  
The boy just laughed perplexedly, and sipped his tea. He instantly felt himself freshening by the hot drink.  
"That's really not bad." he acknowledged.  
The princess sighed with satisfaction after she also had a sip.  
"You know, each time we met, it appeared to me you haven't slept for days."  
"Well, yeah. I worked a lot to be ready with my presentation in time." he said while scratching his head. "I guess I got sleepless by that, unfortunately."  
"It does no good to you." she said with warning tone. "Say, why's that project so important to you? Do you really think we need all this stuff?" she asked seriously.  
This time, he didn't think much on his answer.  
"My parents told a lot about their youth. Their stories are exciting, but sometimes depressing at the same time."  
Sonia listened to him carefully.  
"Just think about the hardnesses they had to live through. How many sacrifices the made for others' lives and freedom? How much they suffered because only a handful of them fought against enemies like Eggman. Not talking about the few times when people they saved turned against them for narrow-minded reasons."  
He paused for a bit to drink from his tea again.  
"Well, that's true. Our parents had a rough time indeed." said the girl.  
"You know, I participated in quite a lot of excavations. I was fortunate enough to see a whole lot of relics from different ages. I found one similarity however. Peaceful and troubled periods changed each other continuously. Evil never disappeared completely, it only pulled back to the background sometimes, when good people got the better of it. It always had a reason to return, and I know it's only a matter of time when it comes back again. We cannot expect the protection of our world from few mobians with special abilities. It's simply too much strain." he finished his monologue intensely.  
"I understand your point of view. Sometimes I also see on my parents how much they're anguished by their past. It's sad they had to live through such a hard youth." said the princess sadly. "But if dark times come again, the people who assign into that organization will writhe similarly, won't they?"  
"Of course. It's not about avoiding hardnesses, but the fact more people could overcome them more easier. A well organized and equipped group, with high headcount could reach a lot of successes." he said confidently.  
"Well, I'm really curious of what results you will achieve. Your determination will surely be helpful in progressing." she answered reassuringly. "By the way, how much time will it take to have evident outcome?"  
"Well, according to my schedule..." he stopped abruptly, and looked at his watch. "Good heavens! I have to hand down the schedule at the town-hall to dad and Jacques! They were assigned to supervise the project!"  
Skye quickly stood up from his chair, and stepped beside the princess.  
"Thank you for the tea, and the nice conversation." he said politely, and started to the door.  
"Wait, let me give you something before you go."  
Sonia stepped to her tea counter to pick up a box from there. She took it to the boy, and gave it to him.  
"Brew this tea for yourself. It'll help driving away your sleeplessness."  
"Wow, thank you! You really know these stuff." he said approvingly.  
"I'm interested in herbs. That's kind of a hobby to me."  
She looked into Skye's eyes with a smile for a few moments. The boy felt like she waited for him to say or do something, but he couldn't find out what it was. Finally she broke their eye contact.  
"Well, I think we both should get back to our duties." she said with a slightly disappointed voice, and headed back to her desk. "I'm glad we were able to talk."  
For a moment, Skye watched as she was walking back to her place, then something unexpectedly came into his mind.  
"Princess!"  
The girl turned around and looked back at the boy inquiringly. Skye became extremely nervous, but there was no turning back.  
"Maybe... Would you like..." he stuttered, but finally nerved himself to continue. "Would you like to go out with me someday?"  
The girl smiled for a moment, then smirked and folded her arms.  
"Skye Prower. If I'm correct, you said you didn't want to take that bet seriously." she said playfully.  
The boy became embarrassed a bit, but he tried to cover it up.  
"I wouldn't do such a thing, of course. But I would be really happy, if you said yes." he said shyly.  
"I look forward to it." she answered.  
Skye looked up at the princess, who smiled back at him warmly, but made a shy face also. Finally, the boy smiled too while his face turned crimson.  
"That's great! I mean... Then I will... call you later."  
"Okay. But you better hurry now or you'll be late." she warned him.  
"I think I'm fast enough to be there in time." he smiled proudly. "We'll talk later." and with that he stormed out of the room.  
Sonia looked at the spot where the boy stood a moment ago, then she sat back to her desk.  
"NICKI!" she called her new assistant, who appeared in an instant.  
"Yes, princess?"  
"For first, call me Sonia, please." she smiled to the program. "And second, be so kind and type my desk diary into your database. And for my next day off, make a note of my date with Skye Prower."  
"Yes, Sonia." replied NICKI, then she disappeared.  
The princess lied back in her chair, and smiled widely. She wouldn't think of meeting a boy who would interest her even a bit. But Skye had something that simply made her want knowing him better. She was glad for that opportunity. She already looked forward to be with him again.

**-o-o-**

**And that's Chapter 4. I hope you liked it. Please, share your opinion about this fanfic so far. I'm really curious about it. :)  
See you at CH5.**


	5. Too Easy for a First Date(?)

**And here I am again! :)**

**Chapter 5 is finished, and ready to be read. I'm sorry it lasted that long, outside circumstances hindered my work. ^_^°**

**I hope it worthed waiting, and you'll enjoy the chapter.**

**So read, enjoy, and most importantly: review! ;)**

**Sonic the Hedgehog characters belong to SEGA and Archie Comics**

**NICKI the Lynx belongs to me and my friend, ReeceTails**

**-o-o-**

**Chapter 5: Too Easy for a First Date(?)**

Princess Sonia Acorn was preparing in her room. Her excitement was undeniable, but it was no wonder. That night was the big night. It was the first opportunity for her to meet Skye Prower really privately. No official cases, no social programs, just the two of them. She was literally counting the minutes since the moment they discussed their date. Of course, she already had some similar private meetings with noble boys, but those all were organised by her grandfather. This was the very first time for her to date someone by her own decision. In addition, the future partner was interesting for her this time. At her earlier dates, she always knew what to expect, and her calculations were always right. This time though, the boy was surely keeping some surprises. So there were reasons for her being excited. She believed she was ready for the night, but choosing her wear was already a hard thing to do. She looked for the right clothes in her wardrobe for hours. It was hard to find the perfect one, which is not too showy neither too moderated. Her mother also tried to help her.  
"And what are your plans for tonight?" Sally asked.  
"We're going to Uncle Chucks's Dinner." answered the princess, while she was getting dressed.  
"Great idea! They're keeping dancing nigh tonight, aren't they?"  
"Yes. And also it's the only place we could be by ourselves without being interrupted."  
"That's a good point too."  
The princess stepped out of her wardrobe. She had a short-sleeved purple blouse with matching skirt that reached the middle of her tigh, and a pair of high heels sandals.  
"What do you think of this? " she asked shyly.  
"You look great, dear. I'm sure he'll like it too."  
Sonia smiled for a bit, then looked back at her mother with serious face.  
"Honestly, mom. You and dad don't have any objections about this, do you?"  
"Why would we have? We're happy you two are getting along so well. Skye is a perfect gentleman. He's much more well-mannered than a lot of other boys in his age."  
"Okay. I justed wanted to make sure."  
NICKI appeared in the room abruptly.  
"Skye Prower is here. He's waiting for you in the hall."  
"Thanks, NICKI. Please, tell him that I'll be there in a second."  
After she disappeared, the princess once again turned to her mother.  
"Do you have any good advices before I go?"  
"Just be yourself, and have a good time." said Sally with warm smile.

Skye Prower was waiting nervously in the huge hall of the Acorn Castle. As that night neared, he was more and more anxious about it. He wasn't the type who made a big deal about what to wear, but this time he did serious efforts in this issue. In final, he opted for the combination of a ligh-blue shirt with dark-blue jeans and black shoes. Since they would possibly dance at the place they were about to go, he choose a wear that would let him move easily.  
Of course, the question of what to wear was a minor one. For Skye, this was the first time to have a real date with a girl. Of course, he worked together with other girls at excavations, but this was a way different situation. If anything would go wrong, or he would make something stupid, it might make it impossible for him to have a close relationship with the princess. He wanted to avoid this possibility. He asked his parents for advise but they only came with the usual reply: be himself. Good joke, he thought. Sometimes even he wasn't sure about his own personality. So just to make things absolutely sure, he asked his sister too for advise and fortunately, at least she could tell something useful. She told him to moderately picture his purposes right at the beginning, so they could avoid any possible misconceptions later. This was a good idea indeed, but he still wasn't relly sure in his intentions. It seemed like Melody knew something however, so taking her advise, he arrived with a small boquet. Since he didn't know what her favourite flowers were, but at least he was certain in her favourite color, he brought purple gladioluses. He just could hope she would like them.  
Not long ago, NICKI offered him to have a seat until Sonia would arrive, but he simply couldn't sit still. So he was walking around the hall instead, looking at the different paintings, sculptures, and the big fountain placed in the middle of the room. There was dead silence in there, until a creaking noise broke it. Skye turned to the way of the sound, and saw the late king Maximillian Acorn as he was heading his way in his wheel-chair. The boy knew he was looking ahead of an unpleasant conversation, but did his best to be polite.  
"Good evening, Your Majesty!" he greeted him officially.  
"Mr. Prower." he returned the greeting in the same monotone voice he used at their first meet. "May I ask what are you doing here?"  
"I'm waiting for the princess, sir." came the nervous reply.  
"You mean Sonia? What business you have with my grandchild?"  
Cold shivers were running through Skye by the nearly looming voice of the old man. He wished he could find out a good covering story, but the bouquet of flowers would surely make it hard to deny the truth.  
"Well, sir... I would like to... take her... on a date." he told with lower and lower voice.  
Hearing the answer, the late king's face didn't change at all, but his originally killing eyes couldn't be any tougher though. He went past the boy, to the fountain. They stood back-to-back when he spoke up again.  
"Mr. Prower. If I'm correct, you plan to create a military group. I hope you don't intend to follow your grandfather's track."  
Skye didn't reply, just turned around and looked at the old man with questioning eyes. After a bit of silence, Maximillian went on.  
"Amadeus was a big hero in his young age, and we all respected him for his feats. He was a real soldier and leader. It was a deep shock, when he basely betrayed the Kingdom. I'm sure you understand why I'm not relaxed by your project. And I'm not happy at all by the thought of you trying to get near my grandchild."  
Skye could easily find ways to reply elaborately to those words. However, it wouldn't be fortunate to forget who he was facing at that moment. So he gulped back down what he really wanted to say, and replied soberly.  
"Dear Sir. Similarly to you, I also have my personal opinion about my grandfather's past actions. My intention is protecting my homeworld and not turning against it. And as for the princess, I don't have any doubtful thoughts in mind about her, I can assure you about that."  
"I believe you. But still, I'll be keeping my eyes on you closely. Don't expect me to watch your doings without stepping up against them, if needed."  
The two men looked at each other for long. Their relationship surely didn't have any good in store for them. This wasn't a good start of the night, thought Skye. The tense moment was interrupted by knocking sounds of steps.

Sonia arrived to the hall in a hurry. She heard the voices of two men speaking in the distance. Judging the temper of the voices, it couldn't be a light conversation. Stepping into the room, she saw her grandfather and Skye looking at each other face-to-face. She wasn't happy to see this sight. The tension between them could be felt clearly. She decided to light up the situation somehow.  
"I'm sorry for making you wait." she said after jumping between them with light smile on her face. Then she stepped to her grandfather, and placed a peck on his face. "Thank you for giving company to Skye until I arrived. I'll take over from now on."  
Maximillian didn't say a word, only nodded and left them silently. After that, she turned back to her date with apologizing eyes.  
"I'm really sorry for this. I hope he didn't say anything rude to you."  
"Don't worry. Real gentleman don't do such things." he answered bitterly, then shooked himself up and continued with a smile. "You're really beautiful by the way. I hope you accept these from me." he handed the flowers to her with lightly shaking hands.  
"Oh, thank you very much!" she took the bouquet happily and took a deep smell at them. "This is really kind of you, but it wouldn't be necessary at all. NICKI will ask someone to put them into a vase. Shall we go?"  
"Of course."  
The young ones started into the night. They didn't have an idea about Maximillian was watching them from the other end of the hall.

Chuck's Dinner was really alive that night. It was almost full of guests. Most of them was having their dinner or a drink, while others were dancing lively on the dancefloor. Skye and Sonia were sitting at a table and they nearly finished their meal. They were chatting lightly during it.  
"And this is how I found that telescope I gave to you as a gift." the boy finished his story.  
"It's amazing how many beatuiful place you've been to. You had a really adventurous life in Downunda" she said in awe.  
"As I see your life is also very lively, princess. During the ball, I was amazed by your patience for talking with so many of guests. I could never bear that so easily."  
"Communication is very important in my post. I've been learning it since my childhood."  
"Did your studies include how to bear the drooling beaus?" joked Skye, making the girl chuckling lightly.  
"It's all about practicing. My grandfather frequently organise, how to say, private meetings with noble boys. So I had to get used to them."  
"It couldn't be easy." he said, then grinned at the girl playfully. "I would likely bet you've never had a really lively dance with them." he stood up from the table and gave his hand to the princess.  
"Only because they couldn't keep up with me." she replied with similar grin and accepted the boy's hand.  
"I gladly accept the challenge."  
The youngs headed to the way of the dancefloor, while laughing merrily.

The mood was becoming more and more lively as more and more dancers joined in. Skye and Sonia were dancing enthusiastically to the vivid music performed by the band. The princess was surprised by some movements performed by Skye. Sometimes he spinned her around so much she couldn't even know for a moment where she was. But what really amazed her was his stamina. While she was getting tired already, he seemingly was tireless. But after seeing him foot-racing against her brother at her birthday party, she shouldn't be surprised that much however. She began to feel more and more exhausted, and didn't know how long she could keep up. It seemed like the band's schedule was going for her sake.  
"Okay boys and girls! Let's cool down a bit with some slower tunes." said the singer, and the band began to play a slow music.  
Most of the dancers picked up the new rhythm, while others left the dancefloor. Skye didn't know instantly what to do. He really wanted to continue dancing, since he really enjoyed it. But he was afraid it would be too direct, after seeing how close some of the pairs were moving to each other. He turned to his partner who looked back at him questioningly. There was no sign of hesitation in her eyes, she obviously wanted to go on. He didn't made her wait anymore. He slowly put his right arm around the girl's slim waist, and picked her right hand into his left one. Meanwhile the princess put her free hand on the boy's shoulder-blade. By this they were hugging each other really closely, and that made Skye slightly stiffed. He tried to get a hold on himself, and slowly began to move with the young lady in his arms. He did his best to get used to the situation, while his senses were literally burning by the girl's nice scent and soft touch. He took in her every strain. She was so beautiful and so perfect. He would have to be a poet or artist to conceive his feelings.  
"What are you thinking about so intensely?" Sonia asked with soft voice.  
Skye just realized how much he fell into his dream world, and that made him blush.  
"I just thought how amazing it is to dance with you here right now."  
"I guess you're feeling lucky." she said playfully.  
"I would say unworthy instead."  
"What are you talking about? You're much more worthy than most of the guys grandpa appreciates."  
"Thanks, you're really kind." he said blushing more deeply. "Are you sure you wouldn't have any problems for spending the night with me?"  
"You don't have to worry that much about my grandfather. He always says out what he thinks, but never has hostility."  
"I'm not worrying about myself. I would kust feel bad, if you would have any trouble because of me."  
The princess just rolled her eyes.  
"If you don't mind, I can decide of what would mean too much of a risk for me by myself. Besides..." she moved even closer to him before continuing. "I'm not afraid of risking when it is worth the effort."  
Skye couldn't say a word. He was totally lost in his dancing partner's shiny blue eyes and soft smile. They were moving so closely to each other it was physically impossible. He felt his heart trhobbing in his throat. There were no need of words. He exactly knew soft feelings were in the background. Or at least he was sure in it enough, but he didn't have a doubt about the girl in his arms having the same feelings. This was unusual for him. It seemed like nothing else in the world were around them. This moment was only theirs. He felt their faces were getting closer and closer to each other. Until the very moment when a clumsy guest poured her drink on Sonia.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you all right? I didn't do it on purpose, I swear!" apologized the girl.  
"Don't worry about it. Things like this happen." answered the princess tactfully, though she seemingly was sorry for her dress. "I'm going to the toilet and try getting rid of this splash. Would you get a drink until then? I'm exhausted." she said to Skye.  
The boy watched as his date disappeared in the crowd, then headed to the bar.

Skye was standing at the bar, waiting to be served. He was a bit glad that little fiasco interrupted them. He would had surely done something thoughtlessness, if it didn't happen. He didn't want to ruin the night by doing something awkward or disrespect. A nice cold drink would cool him down for sure. After getting his order, he headed to find a seat, but three young boys stood in his way abruptly.  
"You're Skye Prower, aren't you?" asked one of them, who was definitely groggy.  
"Do we know each other?" Skye asked back calmly.  
"We heard you want to organise an army here. I think you shouldn't stir up this peaceful world with a nonsense thing like this." said the boy with threatening voice.  
"Listen guys, I don't have time for this. I'm trying to spend an enjoyable night here. So, if you excuse me." he wanted to leave them without any more words, but they didn't let him go.  
"Take our advice and give up this plan of yours instantly, pal."  
Skye began to be cross with those guys, because of the style they talked to him with. He was just about to retort strongly, when a familiar voice cut in.  
"Gentleman, your attitude isn't approppriate at all!" said Jacques D'Coolette to the boys strictly. "If you have any complains, you could submit it to the Council at the right time. Now please, leave my friend alone."  
The members of the group were evidently surprised.  
"I know this guy. He's a council member. We better not cheek with him." whispered the other boy to their leader.  
"What's going on here?" cut in Sonia who just arrived back.  
"The princess?!" they amazed in unison.  
"Okay guys, let's get out of here. We'll be in trouble at that rate." said the leader of the group, and they left the place in a hurry.  
"What was this about?" asked the girl.  
"Let's say those boys tried to make voice for their complains in an unproper way." answered Jacques.  
"Thanks for helping me out. I just began to reach the point when I couldn't bear them anymore." said Skye thankfully, while he gave one of the drinks to his date.  
"No problem. But unfortunately, some other people have the same opinion about your plans. So try to be deliberate. I suggest this to you as your friend. And now, if you excuse me." before he left the pair he shooted one last glance at them.  
Skye felt his jealousy clearly. This nice evening almost turned into a nightmare in one blow. Abruptly he felt someone was touching his arm. He looked to his side and saw Sonia as she looked back at him with worrying eyes.  
"Are you all right?" she asked.  
The warmth that glowed from her eased his feelings instantly.  
"Of course, everything's fine. Come on, let's have a seat."  
As they headed to find a seat, the princess kept her hand on the boy's arm.

Later, the pair were walking at Julayla Memorial Garden. The weather was nice and the starry sky was clear. It was getting cold however. Sonia began to feel this and she already regretted she took a single sleeveless vest with her. She hugged herself and massaged her arms to try warming herself up a bit. Then she felt as Skye placed his jacket on her shoulders. She looked at him, and he smiled back at her.  
"It's quite cold tonight. I thought you might feel chilly."  
"You're right. But won't you catch a cold like that?" she asked worriedly.  
"Don't worry, I can bear cold. Downunda was hot in daytime, but surprisingly chilling in nighttime. So I got used to it."  
The girl was touched by his attention. Skye was a real gentleman. He was much more mature than any of the boys she'd ever met. And he was even younger than them. As they kept walking, she looked at the boy who was walking beside her, while looking at the distance. She began to realize how much he didn't resemble to his father, Tails. Skye had very different and peculiar features. As if he felt her eyes on him, he looked back at her. Their eyes met, which made the girl blush and she turned her head away. His sky-blue eyes were enticing. They reflected tenderness and definiteness at the same time. From the corner of her eye she saw his bare arm. She simply couldn't bear the thought of him walking around like that in this cold. Without thinking on it at all, she wreathed her slim arms around his muscular one and huddled up against him closely. She felt his muscles streching for a moment, but he didn't resisted. So they were just walking along closely to each other, in peaceful silence, enjoying each others nearness. Finally they reached their destination.  
"The Lake of Rings. It's much more beautiful than how I remembered it." Skye said.  
"Do you remember how many times we came here with the others when we were kids?" the princess asked sentimentally.  
"Yeah. It was really long ago. We've grown up since then."  
"At least most of us for sure." said said with a laugh. "Sometimes I miss the ease of childhood. You always want to grow up as a kid, and when it comes true you would likely going back to your younger years." while saying that, she somehow hugged the boy's arm more tightly.  
"I think every ages have their own beauty. And there's no need to give up your childhood permanently anyway." he looked at the girl before he continued quietly. "Besides, I'm really having a good time in the present. Why would I want to pass that?"  
They looked into each others eyes for long. Sonia felt they're looking forward a special relationship. They understood each other so well. She'd never had such a good time with any of the boys she met before. She realized their faces were closing to each other. As they neared more and more, they both closed their eyes, and prepared for whatever was coming up. Then finally... A melody sounded, interrupting the moment abruptly. They looked at each other perplexedly for a moment. Only a really short distance was left between them.  
"It's your communicator, I guess." said Skye finally.  
The princess stepped back and got out the sounding device from her pocket to receive the call.  
"Yes? ... Yeah, why? ... I'm fully aware of that, you know!" she seemingly was more and more frustrated as she talked. "All right, I'm going home soon. Bye." she put away the device angrily.  
She then turned back to Skye and looked at him apologetically.  
"I'm sorry. NICKI just reminded me about an important meeting I'll have to participate at tomorrow. I didn't forget about it, but she thinks I should go back home for now."  
"Well, I programmed her to manage your schedule after all. That means she does her job as she supposed to." he said honestly, but he was disappointed for sure. Then he offered his hand to her, and said playfully. "Would you allow me to escort you home, M'Lady?"  
Sonia chuckled softly, and took the boy's hand.  
"It would be my pleaseure, dear sir. You're a real gentleman."  
The pair walked away from the lake hand in hand, laughing lightly.

A short time later the two youngs arrived to the entrance of the Acorn Castle. They stopped in front of the door and turned to each other, while still holding hands. Skye wanted to use the rest of his time to admire Sonia's warm smile and shining eyes.  
"Thank you for the night, Skye. I had a wonderful time." said the princess finally.  
The boy came back to reality. He did his best to keep his balance up.  
"Yeah, I also enjoyed myself very much." he said while scratching the back of his head. "I would be really happy, if we could repeat it someday later."  
"Absolutely. I would like to spend more time with you." she replied softly, while stepped closer to him.  
They were lost in each others eyes once again. This time, they both knew what would come next. As the distance between their faces lessened, they closed their eyes and were totally ready for it. And finally...  
*COUGH* someone with a well known voice cleared her throat.  
Skye and Sonia both stepped back abruptly by the sudden sound, and looked at the owner of it, who came from nowhere.  
"I'm sorry for interrupting. I'm glad you're back, Sonia. You should go to sleep immediately. You'll need all your energy for the meeting tomorrow." told NICKI officially.  
"Once again, thank you for reminding me, NICKI." replied the princess a bit angrily. "I'm coming in a moment."  
"All right." replied the lynx, who continued standing in her place.  
Sonia looked at her for a few moments.  
"Would you please, leave us alone until then?" she finally asked irritably.  
"Oh, of course." replied NICKI monotously, then disappeared.  
"Somehow today she's more bustling than usually."  
"She's just doing her job. I guess that meeting is going to be very important." reacted Skye, who was also frustrated inside by the interruption of their moment.  
"Well, it's not that big of a deal. She's carrying this too far for some reason."  
"Don't worry about it. But I think you would better get in, before she begins missing you again."  
They both laughed a bit.  
"Maybe you're right." she said smilingly, then looked into the boy's eyes. "I think this is good night then."  
"Yeah. Good night to you too." answered Skye, who was really sorry for the night had already ended.  
As like she didn't want to risk being interrupted again, Sonia stepped to him quickly and in an instant she pushed her lips onto his. Skye was taken aback by the sudden move of her, but he returned the small kiss. It lasted only a few seconds, but he felt every one of those seconds would remain in his memories forever. After the kiss ended, the princess didn't say a word, but went to the door and entered the castle with wide grin on her face. There were no needs for words anyway. Whatever problems tried to ruin this evening, the ending of it was absolutely perfect. Skye's grin was ridiculously huge, as he started his way back to his home. He knew he got to know someone really special, though he never really looked for anyone in particular. This reminded him for the excavations, where he never looked for anything in particular, but always found something precious. He was about to experience this pleasure in a way different segment of his life.

Sonia was heading to her room. There was no way to make her smile disappear from her face. She would more likely took her way to her room jiggling through the hallway. Her heart was so full of happiness. She never thought before she would ever meet a guy so special as Skye. He gave so much more alone than all the other boys together she'd ever met. And she'd never had such a great time before. Though there were some unpleasant situations, those only let them getting more closer to each other. She could hardly wait to tell all the story to her mother. It was a shame she wouldn't have time for it that night. To her surprise, she saw her grandfather coming to her way, despite the late hour.  
"Grandpa! What are you doing here this late?" she asked wonderingly.  
"I could ask you the same thing, dear girl. Don't you think it's quite late now?" replied Maximillian with stern look.  
"Oh, come on! You know well where I was and with who."  
"That's my real problem. Sonia, I don't think it's acceptable from you to meet this Prower boy."  
The girl began to get angry for him talking about Skye this scornfully. Of course, she kept herself cool all the way.  
"Listen, grandfather. I don't really know what is your problem with Skye, but he's a great man. You really don't have reason to worry about him."  
"My problem about him is that he reminds me of her grandfather way too much. Believe me, this boy will cause trouble."  
Sonia thinked for a moment. This made it clear for her why she thought Skye didn't resemble to his father. She'd never known Amadeus Prower personally, but saw pictures of him and knew all the stories about him of course. However, everything her grandfather thought about the boy were nonsense.  
"Maybe you're right about the similarity of their outside features. But you're mistaken in everything else. Skye is an honest, right-thinking, and very polite boy." she said strictly, then continued with softer tone. "I like him, and I really want getting to know him better. So please, don't keep me from this."  
The girl's honesty softened the old man's heart a bit.  
"You are a grown-up woman, Sonia. I couldn't tell you what you should or shouldn't do anymore. However, I'll have a close eye on that boy. And if I see the smallest glimpse of him planning something wrong, I'll make him sit up immediately!" he finished his sentence theatrically.  
The girl smiled by that.  
"I guess I'll have to accept that. Thanks, grandpa." she stepped to the late king, and placed a peck on his cheek. "I'm going to bed now. I'll have a lot of work tomorrow. Good night."  
"Sleep well, my dear."  
As Sonia left him to continue her way to her room, Maximilliam's face once again became sullen. He made up his mind of stepping up against the Prower boy as soon as he'll have opportunity for it, and he'll made his grandchild's mind change about him. He knew it was only a matter of time. All he had to do was being aware.

**-o-o-**

**So that was Chapter 5.**

**Though I had a hard time with my English (somehow right words hardly cam to my mind), I think the result is quite cute. ^_^  
Please, share your opinion with me, I would be more than happy to read them. :)  
**

**I promise I'll try being quicker with the next chapter.**


	6. A Team of Rookies

**Hello everyone!**

**Long time no see. ^_^**  
**I'm really sorry for taking so long with this chapter. In fact, I took a brake in this project for spending my free time with other things. You know how it goes: too many things to do, too less free time to spare. :D**  
**But I don't intend to leave this work incomplete, no way! So here's chapter 6, I hope you1ll enjoy it. :)**  
**Please, post your comments, I would really like to know what you think about this work of mine. Many thanks. :)**

**OCs in chapter belong to me and ReeceTails: Switch, Simona, Panzer, NICKI**  
**All official Sonic the Hedgehog characters belong to SEGA and Archie Comics**

**-o-o-**

**Chapter 6: A Team of Rookies**

Somewhere at a secluded place, not too far from the city, the members of the Acorn Council were waiting with tense curiosity. It was early morning, the first rays of the sun had just shown up on the horizon. In front of the group, Jacques D'Coolette anxiously looked at his watch from time to time.  
"Skye surely knows how to make the audience wait." he muttered silently.  
Only Tails Prower could hear his complain who stood directly beside him. Tails was quite anxious himself too, but for him this was a pleasant waiting.  
"Don't worry! I'm sure he'll be here soon. He just tries to make his appearance more effective." he tried to calm Jacques.

Similarly to all the late Freedom Fighters, the young coyote respected Tails dearly. For this, he was really sorry deep down in his soul for being unabe to have any positive opinion about Skye. He didn't deny, the results Skye achieved in such a short time were fairly remarkable, and he could surely convince the Council easily. However, Jacques still had some reservations about the whole idea: he simply didn't see the necessarity of this project, wasn't sure about it's success in the long run, and of course he didn't agreed to put someone as unexperienced as Skye on the lead of such a group instead of a person, who would be more reliable for this post. These were the technical objections from Jacques, but he had serious personal reasons too. He looked sidelong to throw a short glance at Princess Sonia, who waited for the development with stoic calmness, as it could be expected from her. Seeing her with the young Prower boy in Uncle Chuck's Dinner on that particular night left a deep mark in him. It was clearly obvious for him they were on a date then, and this fact really shocked him. It was a small solace for him he wasn't alone with these opinions. The late king, Maximilliam Acorn also was fully negative about Skye and his doings. During some of their conversations, the old man talked about the boy with such hatred even Jacques was frightened by him. He clearly wouldn't want to be hated by the gentleman.  
"Look over there!" pointed one of the members to the way of the sun.  
A small black spot could be seen there, which was nearing them rather quickly.  
"It was about time." muttered Jacques.  
Pretty soon, the small spot became the silhouette of an odd looking airplane. There wasn't time to check it though, since in the next moment it glided overhead the audience with huge bluster. By the time they turned after it, the plane could barely be seen once again. It took a turn and started to the way of the council members again. This time it neared in a slower pace. As it arrived to them, it practically hovered in the air. It was a black and robust airplane, wide and flat. It's tracing was agressively angular, but streamlined at the same time. On it's back was placed a huge jet engined, that surely could give it high speed. There were rotors on four points of the plane, that gave it ability to hover in one place and maneuver smoothly. It had machine cannons at all of it's corners, that could be turned almost in any way, so they gave full protection. It was an intimidating sight indeed. After maneuvering a bit, it landed on the ground vertically. While it's engines turned down, a ramp opened from it's belly. Twenty soldiers stepped out from the plane in organised rows. All of them wore black, armoured suit. They drew up into two groups.  
On the lead of the first group was a grim looking grey wolf. His green eyes suggested audacity. In front of the other group stood a rabbit boy with yellow fur, light brown muzzle and dark brown hair. His blue eyes behind his glasses seemed a bit uncertain, but he stood there firmly. After the soldiers lined up standing at attention, two other figures stepped out the plane. One of them was Skye himself, while the other one was a black fur cat girl with light brown muzzle, dark brown hair and golden yellow eyes. They both had the same kind of suit on.

Sonia's attention perked up from the very moment the airplane showed up on the distance, and it became more intense when she saw Skye stepping out the plane in his rather unusual body armour. He seemed really robust in it, but she thought it might easily be her imagination, caused by the fact they had barely seen each other since their first date. Both of them were busy with their own works, and the girl was really sorry for that. She could just hope they would have more time to spend together soon. Of course, they did everything they could to keep in touch, so they didn't suffer in too big of fallback. She smiled as she saw the boy standing up before the council members with pride written on his face. He told her earlier how nervous he was about this day, and his eyes clearly reflected that.  
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's my honour to present you our very first quick-reactionary tactical squad, and their troop-carrier, the DRAGONFLY." he announced.  
After that, he showed everything to the members. He introduced his soldiers, their equipment, and the airplane itself. He described the way of their millitary training, and how the organization works. It was a quite long presentation, but the princess enjoyed every minutes of it. She was amazed by the precision, and how well this whole group were organised, and it was completely the merit of this particular young boy. While he finished with the presentation, the sun was already quite high on the sky, reminding some of the members that they should get back to the city. But before going back, Sonic wanted to say a few words.  
"Skye, I guess I'm talking in the name of the whole Council when I say we're very satisfied with the results so far. We're curious of how the group will perform from now on. So I wish good luck to everyone." he said stirringly to the soldiers.  
Skye was absolutley happy. His long time fonded visualization finally reached the level of realization. Now all he had to do is proving it's reason for existence. Of course, he was well aware of the fact this all couldn't be worked out without the people who helped him in it. So he decided to celebrate the success in a worthy way.

Later on the same day, it was a big racket at the huge backyard of the Prower household. Skye organised a little celebration for the members of his team and his close friends of course. The weather was nice, and everyone were enjoying themselves. On the bench, Sonia, Melody and Belle were chatting with each other.  
"It seems like Skye knows those two pretty well." commented the princess.  
Not far from them, the premised boy was having a seemingly light conversation with the rabbit boy and cat girl, whom could be seen at the presentation. All of them were in plain clothes of course.  
"They are his good friends from Downunda." said Melody. "The boy's name is Switch."  
"Ah'm curious how he got into the group. He doesn't seem to be a soldier type." interposed Belle.  
Her remark was reasonable. Switch was quite slim shaped, and with his thick, black framed glasses, and well-set mellow brown hair, he seemed more like a geek or a computer maniac. He wore a loose white shirt, dark blue jeans and black shoes.  
"My brother needed a pro technician. This guy spent whole days in our father's workshop, so he learned from the best." Melody finished her sentence with proud voice. "But he's surely not a tough guy. I don't how he will manage in a serious situation."  
"And what about the girl?" asked Sonia inquiringly.  
The cat girl was sporty and quite good-looking, almost as tall as Skye. Her brown hair reached down to her shoulders, and she wore an aqua-green tank-top, shorts and brown trainers. Her yellow eyes were stealing short glances at Skye constantly, and this didn't avoid Sonia's attention.  
"I don't know much about Simona. We'd barely spoken to each other. Skye said she's a great navigator, and in fact she escorted him on most of his journeys."  
"Did ya also notice, how she look at Skye sometimes?" asked Belle.  
"I personally suspect since long she has a crush on him. If I were you, Sonia, I would quicken up the pace with this relationship."  
"What are you talking about?" reacted the princess with seeming calmness.  
"Come on, girl! Just think about it. They know each other well, and they work together every day. And how much time you'd spent with him since your date?" asked Belle.  
"The answer is simple: barely any." grinned Melody.  
"Oh, poor girl! She finally finds love, but already has to face a rival." dramatized the rabbit girl.  
"Competition could be useful though. There's no better way to convince a guy of your feelings, than kick a rival chick's butt." they both laughed.  
"Girls, please!" Sonia warned them, while she shook her head holding her forehead. "Anyway, I couldn't do anything about it. I'm going to a diplomatic tour tomorrow early in the morning. I'll be out of the city for weeks."  
"Do ya want me to occupy your boyfriend while you are away? Ah have mah methods." winked Belle at her, and Melody snickered.  
Then the doorbell rang.  
"I thought all guests we expected are here already." said the mongoose girl as she went to see who came.  
"Sorry Belle, but I won't need your services." said Sonia, looking strictly to her friend. "We've already discussed with Skye we would spare more time to spend with each other after I come back."  
"What a diplomatic relationship ya two have."  
"Okay, it had to be solved somehow." the princess reddened.  
"Look who decided to visit us!" arrived back Melody along with Jacques, who waved to the girls.  
"I thought you couldn't come, brother."  
"I won't stay for long. I just thought to give the authorization documents to Skye personally. His group is officially acclaimed now."  
"That's very kind of you. He'll surely be glad." said Sonia approvingly.  
Jacques looked back to the girl a bit bemused, then looked at the crowd.  
"And where's the newly assigned commander?"  
"He's over there..." pointed melody to the way of Skye and his company, then stopped for a moment and a smile appeared on her face. "Where Manik is just about to make a move on the soldier girl."  
They all looked over there, and saw as the young prince was deploying his manly charm to allure Simona.  
"Oh, Manik! He simply can't be above himself!" said Sonia, burying her face into her palms.  
The young hedgehog talked temptingly to the girl, who listened to him without stirring an eyelid. Then she answered him shortly with unchanged smile, and Manik's face became uncertain in an instant.  
"I guess he failed... again." commented Sonia.  
"Okay, I'm going there and save him from some more humiliation." said Jacques and headed to Skye's company.  
"See? I told you that chick picked on my little brother." said Melody.  
"That not proves anything. Every girl ditches Manik."  
"Yeah, my brother is way too pushy. I've already told him several times he won't get a girl like this."  
"You just bugger him about. I think he's quite cute." reacted the mongoose girl simply.  
"You think so?" Belle's eyes literally popped out.  
"Just wait 'till he moves on you. You'll run for your life." both girls laughed, while Melody just shook her head with a smirk.

"Hello guys!" greeted Jacques as he reached the group.  
"Hiya Jacques! You finally made it, bro?" Manik shaked hands with him, while he tried to cover his frustration about his failed flirting.  
"I don't want to disturb you. I just wanted to give you these, Skye." he handed the pack of papers to the fox boy. "The Council officially accepted your military group. Congratulations."  
The two boys shaked hands.  
"So, we have to call you boss from now on?" asked Switch.  
"Well, actually commander would be the right style." replied Skye with a half smile.  
"Yes, commander!" saluted Switch and Simona simultaneously.  
The group laughed a bit, Jacques just smirked. He once again looked around the guests, until he found who he looked for.  
"Well, I still have some business to do, so I'm leaving. Good luck for the continuation." he said, and headed to the way of the person he looked for.  
The wolf, who also participated at the presentation event, was talking to some of his squad mates. He was a tall and muscular man, seemingly the kind of guy who you don't want to fight against. He had a dark brown sleevless vest, millitary patterned knickers, and dark brown boots. As he saw Jacques nearing to him, he turned to him with a big grin.  
"Here's the guy who got me this new job!" he said loudly as a greeting. "Thanks again for commendating me. I'm really grateful for this opportunity."  
"I'm glad you successfully passed the training session, Panzer." replied Jacques politely. "Could we talk in private a bit?" he asked him.  
The two men stepped aside from the crowd.  
"So, what do you think about the project?" asked Jacques.  
"It's really professional. Skye Prower is young, but fully aware of what he's doing."  
"And what about his friends?" he pointed to the way of Switch and Simona.  
"The girl is good in navigation and scouting. The guy is some kind of a computer mage and good mechanic. They are not big deals, but do their job fairly."  
"So, since you're in the group, it's time to speak about your part of our deal."  
Panzer's attention turned fully to the young coyote. He remembered their deal well. In exchange for Jacques using his position to get Panzer into the squad, he would do a favor for him.  
"I'm all ears. What dou you want me to do, my boss?"  
"Well, there are several of us, whom don't agree with this whole project. That includes me, but also Lord Maximilliam Acorn for example."  
"And why's that?" asked back the wolf wonderingly.  
"We don't believe in the success of this whole thing. And we don't think Skye Prower would be a good leader for a squad like this."  
"He leads the group really well. I couldn't imagine a commander any better than him. Could this possibly be a personal matter?"  
After hearing the question, Jacques looked at the way of the princess who still talked to her girlfriends.  
"You don't have to be concerned about that. Anyway, an organization like this could be dangerous with a wrong command. But since all the council members support this project, my only way to step up against it, if I could prove it's unworthyness, or Skye Prower's inability to it's command."  
"I hope you don't want me to be a saboteur. I'm not willing to do something like this." replied Panzer a bit vehemently.  
"That's not the case, my friend. A guy like you have to be a trustworthy soldier. I just ask you to monitor the working of the organization precisely. If you see or hear anything that is not mentioned in the official reports, you let me know about it immediatelly."  
The wolf thinked about it a bit, then nodded in agreement.  
"All right. I guess I could do that much."  
Jacques grinned after hearing his answer.  
"Great. I can assure you we'll be grateful for your services. Now, I gotta go to take care of a few things. We're counting on you. Good luck."  
After finishing his sentence, Jacques headed to leave the place. He contentedly took cognizance of the fact he successfully sent a spy into Skye's group. He couldn't wait for the first opportunity to find out even the smallest fault from the boy, and pounce on it right away.

Skye left his guests for a short time to take the documetns he received just before, and place them into the safe in his living-room. With this pile of papers, he had everything he needed to achieve the next level of his plans. From that point, all he had to do is to give everything into it. And of course, he hoped he would have the opportunity to prove the rightfulness of his ideas. Right after he closed the important papers into the safe, he heard footsteps nearing from behind him. He turned around, and saw the princess, who just stepped into the room. Skye's heart warmed up by the sight of the young lady. If someone would ask him in that moment to define beauty, he would say it stood right in front of him. They both smiled at each other.  
"Congratulations for your results, Skye. It's really remarkable what you achieved." she said approvingly.  
"Thank you. There are still a lot of work to do, but I'm glad I could reach this important milestone." he replied with a blush, then looked at the clock on the wall. "I guess you came to say goodbye." he said a bit sadly.  
Even if they couldn't spend much time together since their first date, they could meet for short times every now and then. But now, during the following few weeks he would be glad, if they could at least talk to each other somehow. Sonia smiled at the boy pityingly.  
"I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'm going away early in the morning, and I still have to pack."  
"This three weeks long tour sounds to be tough. Are you going to be all right?"  
"Don't worry. There will be other deputies with me, and also NICKI will come to help. So I'll be fine." while she spoke, she was stepping nearer and nearer to the boy. "And in fact, I'm going to spend the last few days at Lara-su's place, so I could have a little rest in the end of the trip."  
"I think you deserve at least that much." said the boy who really felt the urge to tightly hug the girl standing right in front of him.  
For a few moments, they looked into each other's eyes sadly, then the doorbell rang.  
"Well, my carriage is here, so I should get going." she said, Skye only nodded.  
The next moment, without the slightest hesitation, they embraced each other gently. It was a really nice, but sad moment for both of them.  
"Have a safe trip. And take care." said Skye to the girl in his arms.  
"Of course. And good luck to you with your team. Make me proud." she replied.  
They released each other finally, and the princess headed to the way of the entrance door. Before she would step out, she once again looked back at the boy, who made her heart beating faster every time. Skye waved to her with wide grin on his face. Sonia finally left the place, and the boy stayed in the silent room for a few minutes. His thinking was disrupted by an other girl's voice.  
"Hey, commander! It's not nice to leave your guests behind, you know!" stamped in Simona.  
Skye smiled again, and headed out from the room in the way of the girl.  
"Sorry, I had some stuff to do." he apologized.  
As he stepped out to the terrace, he looked around to see his celebrating men. He was curious of what tasks they are going to face.  
"Here you go." said Simona, and handed a glass of refreshment to him. After he took the drink thankfully, she continued. "You organised a very good team."  
"I'm really glad I have you and Switch in it though. It's a relief to know there are people whom I could trust without a doubt."  
"I didn't think much about it, when you called me to join. I was more than glad to come." she reddened a bit. "It took a little time to convince Switch though, but it was successful fortunately." she said proudly.  
"Cheers then!"  
"Give it your best, my commander!"  
The young Prower looked ahead the forthcoming period in excitement. He knew he'll have to face with a lot of hardnesses. He had to convince a lot of people about the worthiness of his plans. Well, he was definitely going to do his best, so it wouldn't depend on him.

**-o-o-**

**So that was it. I hope you enjoyed. :)**  
**I'm really looking forward to write the next chapter. I have very nice plans of how to do it. So I promise it won't be taking much time to be done. :)**

**Take care.**


	7. The Biggest Chance

**Hello my dear readers! :)**

**As I promised, I was quicker with the new chapter. To be honest, it was quicker than I thought. ^_^**

**I hope you'll like this chapter, I personally think it turned out quite good. :)**  
**Enjoy reading it. And please, review my work. I would really appreciate it. Thank you! ^_^**

**-o-o-**

**Chapter 7: The Biggest Chance**

Above the endless blue of the Mobian Ocean, lighted by the weak lights of the rising sun, a blue two-engine hydroplane flew through the sky. One of it's passengers was Skye, who sat on the pilot's seat of course. His companion, Sonia occupied the seat of co-pilot, and was just showing her suprisingly good talent of navigating.  
"Turn 23 degrees to South, and keep that way until we arrive." she ordered  
"Roger that, ma'am." joked Skye, and turned the plane to the correct way. "You're a perfect navigator, you know. I'm really impressed."  
Sonia reddened after hearing his compliment.  
"Thank you. I travel quite lot, and I like to know the route I'm taking. You could never know. I've never been this way, however. Where are we going?"  
"You'll see soon. You'll like it." he winked at her.  
They both waited for that day excitedly. They finally had the chance to be together again. It's been weeks of waiting for them. But this time, they were both free for the day. The Acorn Council didn't have meeting, and the members of the military group got a day-off too. They decided to play it safe, and spend the day somewehere out of town, where they wouldn't be disturbed. Skye knew the perfect place for this opportunity. He smiled, when their destination came into sight.  
"Well, we are here." he said.  
The princess looked through the windshield curiously, and saw the group of three small islands. The biggest of them was covered with green forests, and it's two big lakes were connected by a river. It was a beautiful place. What's more, it was somehow very familiar for the girl, though she was sure she'd never been there before. Then she began to remember.  
"Wait a second! Isn't this..." she began to ask.  
"Welcome to Cocoa Island!" Skye announced.  
Now she remembered. This was the island, where Tails built his own little workshop, and lived some exciting adventures. He remembered all of Tails' stories very well. She simply adored them.  
"Your father told me about this place. I can't believe you're actually taking me there." she said happily.  
"I told you, you'll like it. We're landing right away."  
Skye pushed the control forward, and the plane began to slope. He put it down on the surface of water smoothly, and drove it to the coast of the island. After stopping the engines, they both unclasped their seatbelts, and went to the back of the plane to pick up their backpacks. Then they stepped out from the plane through it's door, which opened to it's wing. Skye jumped down from the wing to the sandy ground, put down his backpack, then took the girl's too. After that, he offered his hands to help her down of the plane too. The girl crouched on the edge of the wing and put her hands on his shoulders, while Skye held her waist. Sonia jumped down from the wing, and the boy put her down slowly. They didn't release each other immediately. They held each other for a short time, and merged into each other's gaze.  
"Uhm... Will you show me your father's workshop then? I'm really curious of it." asked Sonia with flushed face.  
From that, Skye also came back to reality. He released the girl, and answered shyly.  
"O-Of course. My pleasure. It's not far from here."  
The both picked up their bags, and walked to the way of the mentioned house.

After a bit long but pleasant walking, the pair arrived to that particular wooden house. Sonia was amazed by the thought of Tails building this whole thing alone, when he was still a kid. She was always sad, when she thought of all the hardnesses that Tails, her parents, and all the other elders had to go through, when they were young. She was thankful for the possibility of living a happy and carefree childhood, what could be thanked for the olders' sacrifices. Seeing the house, it didn't look like it was too old though. To tell the truth, it seemed to be quite well maintained.  
"Does Tails still come here?"  
"No, dad doesn't really come here anymore. I come here sometimes, when I'm on a trip."  
Skye opened the door, and they were unexpectedly welcomed by the cloud of dust that stormed up by the wind.  
"It seems like... you weren't here... for some time" said the girl in middle of coughing.  
"Yeah, even I can't remember when was the last time I was here." he replied while he scratched the back of his head. "But it's a small house fortunately, so I'll clean it up in no-time."  
"I'll help you out, just open the windows, please."  
Together they began to clean the small house. They dusted all the furnitures in the room. Not like there was much to dust: an old computer, a bench with well organised tools that seemingly weren't used by anyone for a long time, and a bunk bed. The latest item was a bit odd for her. She didn't remember Tails ever mentioned he visited this island with anyone else. Except for Antoine and Bunnie D'Coolette whom wanted to spend their honeymoon here, but it absolutely didn't turn out as they planned it.  
"Why's a bunk bed needed here?" she asked while taking the sheets out to dust them.  
"Oh, we've vamped it up with Simona, when she came here with me for the first time. We needed something we both could sleep on.." Skye replied simply.  
The girl feared from that answer. She didn't like to accept it, but the suspicion of Melody and Belle about Simona being in love with Skye made her anxious.  
"Do you travel a lot together?" she tried to chart their relationship inconspicuously.  
"There was an intenese period, when I went to a lot of places in a row. It's dangerous to fly alone when you're tired, you know. So she accompanied me." they both went on with their work, as Skye continued. "She didn't like the excavations at all, but she helped a lot with my researches. This military project is also her's a little. And Switch's of course, since most of our equipment are invented by his plans."  
"I guess you three are very good friends."  
"Yeah. I didn't have any other friends in Downunda. I'm glad they've accepted to join my group. It's good to know I have real friends nearby."  
The princess was relieved a bit by Skye's words. So he was thinking about Simona only as a friend. It's reassuring, but she shouldn't take it easy too much. Maybe her girlfriends were right, and she should really speed up a bit. After finishing with the sheets, she contentedly acknowledged that they were done with cleaning.  
"Well, it was indeed easier with your help. Thank you." the fox boy smiled at Sonia. "So, what would you like to do now? This island is not too big, but it has some cool places."  
The princess wiped her forehead. By that time the weather was quite warm, and they were both feeling hot from working.  
"I saw earlier from the air there's a lake not far from here. I would gladly cool myself in it." she answered alluringly.  
"Fine by me." he smiled back.  
They got their backpacks, and headed to that particular lake.

While they neared to the lake, Skye was talking about one of his team's actions.  
"So, it wasn't easy to land on the rooftop of a tower block, but at least we could try out, how precisely the DRAGONLFY could be landed."  
"Wow! To be honest, I would never thought they would make so many use of your team in such a short amount of time. It's impressive."  
"Well, yeah. It's not bad." he reacted a bit disappointed, and Sonia knew why.  
"Oh, come on! You should be proud, and glad there are no bigger problems."  
"Yeah, you're right." he said with embarrassed face.  
Skye really enjoyed the princess' company. Her positive attitude could instantly dispel all his doubts.  
"Wow, that's beautiful!" cried out Sonia, and ran forward to the lakeside.  
While the boy caught up with her, she already dropped her pack and shoes. Skye drew a big breath of the fresh air.  
"Now that's really something! I can't wait to jump in it. Listen, I stand away so you can easily... change." he didn't get stuck in his words accidentally.  
As he looked at the girl's way, all he could see was how she took off her sleevless vest and skirt, and in a blink of an eye she stood there wearing only a cute small purple bikini. If Skye would be some kind of elastic creature, his jaw would hit the ground for sure. However, his mouth gaped hugely by the beautiful sight. Sonia didn't overlook his reaction.  
"You know, if you stare like that, your nice blue eyes will pop out of your head." she said playfully, while stepped closer to him. "And by the way..." she went on temptingly, and put her hand on Skye's chest. "You're slow!" she pushed him a bit, and the next moment he found himself in the cool water.  
He was quite surprised by the girl's action, but he needed to be cooled down already. However, Sonia laughed really hard on the situation.  
"If you would saw your expression!" she howled, and after stoppet laughing, she dived into the water.  
Skye looked smilingly as she enjoyed the coolness of the water.  
"Don't tell me it didn't feel good to fall into it." said Sonia, still laughing a bit.  
"This was mean from you." he replied playfully.  
"Sure. A race to the river? If you beat me, I'll let you take revenge." she said, and started swimming to the way of the river.  
Skye quickly dropped out his wet vest and boots, so he had only his shorts on.  
"You'll regret calling me slow!" he said with wide grin, and swam after the girl.

After nearly an hour of joyous swimming and bathing, the pair were lying in the grass, enjoying the warmness of sunlight. Lying not too close – but close enough – beside each other, they were peacefully stared at the sky, and talking.  
"So Lara-su is totally enchanted by the fact she'll get married soon. Maybe the only case I saw her this enthusiastic was after she received the Guardian title." Sonia told.  
"I think this is what happiness does with most people. And people in love are usually happy." Skye smiled to his partner, who returned the gesture.  
"Yeah. But when it comes to sentimentalism, that's my province usually."  
"Really?"  
"Oh, yes. You should see how wholehearted I am, when I'm raging about my brother." she joked.  
"That's not nice, you know. Why do you hate him so much?"  
"That's not the case." she answered, being a bit suprised by the boy's serious reaction. "It just makes me mad, he's the crown prince despite he's the younger child. He has nothing that is needed to be a king. He's disrespectful and stubborn, he knows nothing about etiquette..."  
"Don't take me wrong, but I think your dad was a similar type, when he became the king." cut in Skye.  
The princess sat up, and looked back at him strictly.  
"How dare you talking about your own king like this?" she asked leaning above him, while she kept one of her hands on her hip and she leaned on her other one.  
The girl's sharp look didn't make Skye uncertain. In fact, he found it rather cute.  
"Relax. I would never tell him this into his eye." he joked, then stretched himself as he continued. "After all, he has changed for good during the past years, hasn't he? I'm sure Manik could grow up for the role too." meanwhile he stopped stretching, and put his hands behind his head and continued looking at the sky. "And if not, you are clever enough to correct his failures. So in a sort of way, you would be in charge. And then, who knows?"  
While the girl listened to his words, she turned her reddened face away from him. Skye wasn't typical muscle-man, but he had some nice muscles on his upper body. And he was so handsome.  
"Or is it possible I'm not right in this issue?" he snapped her out from her daydreaming.  
She looked back at him for a moment, slightly shook her head, then with a big sigh she lay back down. However, without her being aware of it, she put her head onto the boy's muscular upper-arm. They both were suprised by this, but they didn't look at each other. After staring at the sky for a few silent minutes, Sonia thought she should change her position. It seemed like Skye kind of expected it though, because he stretched out the arm she lay on, held her shoulder with it, and pulled her a bit closer to himself. A wide grin appeared on her face by the gesture. It was such a nice feeling to snuggle to a man who made her feel safe. She sighed once again, but becaouse of satisfaction this time.  
"Unfortunately, you are not exactly right." she said finally. "Dad's still being stressed all the time because of his position. He cover it up well in front public, but this is just his play. He doesn't like this situation at all."  
She held a little break in her speech, while she began playing on the boys fluffy chest with her index finger. As she went on, she didn't looked at the sky anymore, but only stared at the distance.  
"You know, sometimes I see on my mother, how sad she is for being unable to help dad in this problem." she told sadly.  
"They love each other. That's what really matters, right?" replied Skye, and he hugged her closer to himself.  
"Yeah, you're right." she said dreamily, meanwhile she stroked the boy's chest with her palm already. "I dream of a love as strong as their's."  
Abruptly, Skye's heartbeat slightly increased, and he was breathing quicker. The princess felt it too, and she sat up from the boy's embrace in her worry. She didn't release his chest though.  
"Are you not feeling well?" she asked worriedly.  
Skye took a deep breath, and he sat up too. He took the girl's hand into his.  
"I'm all right, just... I've really wanted to tell you something for some time..." he said a bit nervously. "So... you know..."  
This time, the princess' heart began to reace, and her eyes widened. _Oh, my gosh! He's about to confess!_ – she thought. She'd waited for this moment since their first date.  
"To tell the truth, I..." he gulped a big, and finally looked into the girl's eyes, as he prepared for maybe the biggest confession he'd ever done in his life. "I've never met a girl like you before... You're really special... And I..."  
Sonia was ready to jump onto the neck of her love. A few months before, she didn't believe she would live this moment in the near future. And now in front of her, there was a man who was able to captivate her heart, and he was about to confess his love for her.  
"I honestly... and really very..." he had to gulp almost after every single word.  
The girl's smile became wider and wider. This boy was so cute when he was embarrassed. In her soul, she was prepared for her very first loving kiss. However, fate had different plans for their togetherness once again.  
*BEEP-BEEP-BEEP*  
An awfully familiar sound ringed in the princess' backpack. Sonia's face became sullen in a moment, and the boy was totally interrupted in his speech too.  
"Oh, what a familiar situation." she muttered angrily, and reached for her bag to answer the call.  
She felt really angry. She knew for sure no matter who was calling her, she would give some of her mind. She finally found the device, and picked it up agressively.  
"Yes?" she said with unusual anger in her voice, then after hearing the person on the other end of the line, her face softened. "Oh, hi dad! Why did you call?"  
So it was Sonic who called the girl. Skye soured totally. If Sonic was after his daughter that much, then it really might be possible that nobody wanted them to be together. His worries just became more intense by seeing the worried expression that appeared on the girl's face.  
"But why? Is there something wrong? ... I see... Okay, we're going back soon... Okay, I'll tell him... Bye!" she hung up her phone, and looked at Skye anxiously.  
"It was your father? Something's wrong?" he asked nervously.  
"The Council summoned an emergency meeting. And you have to participate in it too."  
The boy relieved a bit. So, it wasn't what he thought. At the next moment, his adrenaline level rose up. Finally, a serious mission could be in view. He jumped up from the ground, quickly grabbed all their stuff, and pulled the girl away with himself.  
"Let's go quickly then! We don't have time to waste." he said firmly.

A little bit later, they were already on their way back to New-Mobotropolis. They didn't talk much during their trip. The girl only navigated, and the boy followed her instructions without a word. Then, when the silhouette of the city came into view, Sonia sighed.  
"By the way, dad said he's sorry for disrupting whatever we did." she said with bittersweet smile.  
"How mindful of him." the boy replied calmly.  
However, his soul was relieved by the fact Sonic didn't mind their dating. But for now, his whole mind was on what the Council wanted to tell him.

After arrival, Sonia hurried home to get changed into her official clothes, then headed to the Town Hall immediatelly. It really annoyed her she couldn't find out what was the case. Even her virtual assistent NICKI couldn't inform her about it. As she walked through the hallway to the board-room, she saw Skye's three officers, Simona, Switch, and the wolf boy (she still didn't knew Panzer by then) as they waited before the council-chamber. It really had to be something serious, if they were also called in. Right before she stepped into the room, she saw as Skye hurriedly arrived.  
"Thank goodness! He made it in time." she said to herself.  
She stepped into the board-room, where all the other council members were ready for the meeting. Sonia sat on her place next to her mother. Sally looked her smilingly.  
"If we're done here, I hope you'll tell me everything." she whispered to her daughter.  
"I would have much more to tell, if we weren't interrupted by all of this!" the girl complained.  
"I'm sorry, dear. You'll see soon, what's this about."  
Before Sonia could say anything more, the four soldiers were called into the room. Skye came in front, his men behind him. Skye firmly stepped before the council members, and his officers stood beside each other behind him. All of them saluted to the people in front of them.  
"At ease!" ordered Jacques D'Coolette, and they waited for the details with hands behind their backs..  
"Tails please, inform them about the situation." said Sonic  
Tails stood up from his seat, cleared his throat and got down to business.  
"Well, as the most of us here know it, we and our allies send spies to the coast of New-Megaopolis from time to time to observe if anything happens over there." Skye was suprised by hearing this, but he listened with unchanged face. "Since we don't know what stayed in that city after the fall of the Eggman Empire, we don't want to risk that someone bad would seize the place. During the last few years, we didn't experience anything important. However, the spies who are standing off at the city right now, noticed something unusual that takes place somewhere in the center of the city." Tails then nodded to Jacques to continue, and sat back down.  
The young coyote remained in his seat while he spoke.  
"Since we don't want our spies to risk their soundness, we entrust you to take your team, get into the center of New-Megaopolis, and find out what's happening there."  
Skye looked back the council members dumbfoundedly. Every one of them sat there without a flinch on their faces, in exception of one person. Sonia's face was pale and scared. It was like she saw a ghost just a moment before. She obviously was really worried. The boy felt sorry for her, but at that moment, he had to concentrate on the issue he stood there for. He drew himself up, and answered firmly.  
"We took note of your order. Our team will be ready to depart tomorrow at early dawn."  
Tails nodded to his son proudly, though he was also worried in his soul by the situation.  
"All right." he said finally. "We've already sent every information to the HQ. Get ready for mission!"  
"YES SIR!" the soldiers said in unison, saluted, and walked out of the room.  
Sonia felt like she was about to fall down from her chair. Just a little time before, she and Skye were about to confess their feelings for each other. But at that moment, as she saw her love walking away, she had the unpleasant feeling that might be the last case she saw him. Around her, the other council members already left their places, but she just sat there dumbfoundedly, and tried to elaborate everything she heard just before. Abruptly, a pair of strong hands touched her shoulders. She looked up, and saw Tails standing behind her with a smile on his face.  
"Don't worry. He's a smart boy, he can look out for himself. The best you can do for him right now is to encourage him before he departs." he finished his sentence with a wink, then headed out of the room.  
The princess thought about what Tails said. He was right. Worrying wouldn't help anything at all. Instead, she had to make her almost official boyfriend sure of her will of supporting him wholeheartedly.

Skye and his teammates hurried to their HQ with quick and firm steps. Meanwhile the fox boy instructed his men.  
"Panzer, you let the others know about the situation. Meeting in the hangar tomorrow at 0400 hours. Everyone rest up well."  
"Copy that, commander!"  
"Simona, plan the route. Get every single information about New-Megaopolis. I don't care if they are official information or urban legends, I need every details."  
"I'm on it."  
"Switch, you control the mechanical preparations. You know our equipment the best. Everything have to be in perfect condition."  
"Okay."  
Right after this, they reached the entrance of the base. Skye stopped, turned to his officers, and spoke up with confident smile.  
"Guys, here's the biggest chance to prove ourselves. I'm counting on you. Let's do this!"  
"YES SIR!" the three said and saluted in unison once again, then everyone headed to do their own job.  
However, Simona stopped beside Skye, put her hand on his shoulder, and shook it encouragingly.  
"You can be proud of yourself. Now you can show those top dogs, what you really established."  
"It would have never worked out without you and Switch." he smiled at her.  
The girl smiled back, then headed out to accomplish her commander's order. Skye looked up to the sky that was already swam in the orange light of the setting sun.  
"Tomorrow, we'll reach a new level." he said to himself, and stepped into the building, to organise the preparations of their first real mission.

**-o-o-**

**I hope you enjoyed it. :)**  
**So, things begin heating up. What will happen at the mission of Skye and his team? You'll see soon. :)**


End file.
